Health Care Access for Millions Take National Spotlight As Republicans Push Nominee and Lawsuit to Repeal ACA
Senate Republicans’ effort to jam a conservative justice onto the court before its November 10th hearing on the Affordable Care Act is putting House Republicans in the hot seat for their support of the lawsuit to repeal the ACA and letting insurance companies discriminate against Americans with cancer and COVID-19.
The case is set to be taken up by the Supreme Court just a week after Election Day. Washington Republicans continue to offer no viable alternative to replace the law if successful, leaving millions out to dry during the middle of pandemic that has spiraled out of control due to their failed leadership.
Key Points from National Journal:
- “This is the equivalent of Republicans scheduling a vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act a week after the election,” Robyn Patterson, DCCC National Press Secretary
- The focus on access to care and protecting coverage for patients with preexisting conditions during the pandemic has left some Republicans scrambling to catch up—and has made some seats more competitive. Privately, some Republicans are worried that if the race for the House is decided on health care, their already narrow path back to power might be cut off, according to interviews conducted by National Journal.
- That shift in messaging is most noticeable in suburban districts that decisively voted for Donald Trump in 2016 but in the last four years have morphed into battlegrounds as GOP support wanes
- Republican strategists working with competitive campaigns who spoke with National Journal said that, ultimately, health care is a losing issue for them… with the economy inseparably tied to the still-raging virus, medical concerns remain at the top of mind for voters. Taking on those concerns is a heavy lift for Republicans, one that some strategists think will be tough to overcome with just six weeks until the election…
- Now, Supreme Court appointments have taken on greater importance after Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s death on Friday. The vacancy has opened up another lane for Democrats to highlight health care and the GOP’s efforts to roll back the ACA without proposing an alternative.
- The Court is scheduled to hear arguments in a challenge brought by a group of Republican attorneys general to President Obamas signature legislative achievement a week after the Nov. 3 election. National Democratic strategists said they plan on hammering the importance of health care in the final weeks of the campaign with renewed vigor.
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