EverThrive Illinois applauds the 7-2 decision of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) to uphold the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in California v. Texas. By throwing out the Trump-backed challenge to the ACA, the SCOTUS ruled that the states challenging the law failed to prove that they were harmed by the ACA’s individual mandate. The ACA is still the law of the land.
The decision has protected access to health care for nearly one million Illinoisans. The ACA currently provides coverage for 267,000 people in Illinois through the marketplace. In addition, over 690,000 Illinoisans have coverage through Medicaid expansion, including 34,000 pregnant people. The ACA’s protections ensure that people with pre-existing conditions, women, and older people cannot be charged more for their coverage. California v. Texas jeopardized protections for the 5.4 million people in Illinois who have a pre-existing condition, including over 500,000 children. The ACA also ensures thousands of people have access to preventative reproductive health care like mammograms, prenatal care, and birth control at no cost to them.
With this decision, the Supreme Court has also secured the right to health care for many children in our state. The ACA expanded coverage for 77,000 children in Illinois who would have otherwise been uninsured. Coverage is also more affordable for those with private insurance. Over 1 million children in Illinois with private insurance have guaranteed coverage of zero-copayment preventive care and catastrophic medical costs because of the ACA.
The preservation of the ACA means the Special Enrollment Period (SEP) to enroll in Marketplace coverage can continue. Because of the American Rescue Plan, 130,000 Illinoisans are newly eligible for tax credits to reduce the cost of coverage, and 20,000 will be eligible for $0 premium coverage. Now through August 15, you can explore your coverage options and sign up at HealthCare.gov.
The ACA is constitutional and is necessary. EverThrive IL believes now is the time to build upon the success of the ACA to bring quality, accessible, and affordable health care to all Illinoisans regardless of citizenship status. We will not stop until everyone has the right to health care.