Washington, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joe Donnelly released the following statement on the first day of oral arguments in Texas v. United States, a lawsuit that would, in part, eliminate current health insurance protections for those with pre-existing conditions.
Donnelly said, “This misguided lawsuit would put health care coverage for Hoosiers with pre-existing conditions at risk. Hoosier families can’t afford to return to the days when they could be denied coverage due to cancer, asthma, diabetes, multiple sclerosis, and many other conditions. I continue to urge the Administration to stop efforts to undermine these critical protections and instead work in a bipartisan way to make health care more affordable and accessible.”
Donnelly has consistently worked for quality, affordable health care coverage for Hoosiers, including those with pre-existing conditions. In July, he joined a resolution that would allow the Senate’s Legal Counsel to represent the Senate in Texas v. United States. This would enable the Senate to defend protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions against the current lawsuit. Last week, he helped introduce legislation that would overturn the Administration’s recently finalized rule expanding short-term “junk” insurance plans, which fail to offer essential coverage and protections for those with pre-existing conditions.
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, approximately 30 percent of Hoosiers under the age of 65 (more than 1.1 million people) have pre-existing conditions that could have left them with no coverage or facing higher rates, before the Affordable Care Act prohibited such discrimination.
