FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 22, 2014
Contact: Greta Bergstrom, Greta@TakeActionMinnesota.org, 651.336.6722
“Broad access to subsidies means broader access to health care.”
St. Paul, MN – TakeAction Minnesota issued the following statement this afternoon, responding to this morning’s ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court in Halbig v. Burwell that health care premium tax subsidies can only be issued to individuals buying coverage plans through state-based exchanges and not through federally-facilitated marketplaces:
“The goal of the Affordable Care Act is to ensure that every American has access to affordable, comprehensive health care. It’s a goal TakeAction Minnesota shares. Unfortunately, conservatives continue using the courts to build a wall between millions of American families and the affordable coverage intended by the ACA. They added another brick to the wall today when the conservative D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled at the expense of millions of Americans who rely on tax credits to afford health coverage for themselves and their families. Hours later a second court came to the opposite conclusion, upholding the subsidies, but leaving families around the country with fear and uncertainty about the future of their coverage assistance.
“The decision by the D.C. Circuit Court this morning is unconscionable. If upheld, it would punish families who live in nearly two-thirds of states where conservatives blocked the establishment of state-based exchanges.
“Thankfully, having our own health exchange means Minnesotans will not be impacted by this decision or stripped of their access to these critical subsidies. Tax credits and MinnesotaCare have already lowered the cost of health coverage for over 88,000 Minnesotans, allowing these individuals and families the security of knowing they have the health care they need. It’s clear that the Republican vision for healthcare is to go back to the pre-ACA Wild West, leaving consumers on their own to struggle for the health care they need.
“We applaud the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals who immediately split with the D.C. Circuit and upheld the ACA’s federal exchange subsidy.Broad access to subsidies means broader access to health care. All marketplace enrollees, federal as well as state-based, have been helped by these subsidies and should continue to receive these tax credits to ensure their access to affordable health coverage is not severed.”
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TakeAction Minnesota is a statewide people’s network of individual and organizational members working collaboratively to raise the voices of Minnesotans in their own communities to advance social, racial and economic justice. The organization has offices in St. Paul, Duluth and Grand Rapids.
