Clarissa Woo Hermosillo, Director of Policy Advocacy:
“Earlier today, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA). The ACLU of Southern California celebrates this decision as a huge victory for the millions of uninsured Americans who will now be able to participate more fully in the economic, political and social life of the nation. Implementation of the historic legislation will also guarantee individual protections against discrimination and ensure that California families will have the security that coverage will be there for us when we need it.
Today’s ruling is a clear and complete victory for long-overdue health care reform and access to quality health care, which the ACLU of Southern California regards as a fundamental civil and human right. The ACLU/SC was one of hundreds of organizations in California that fought for reform as part of the national Health Care for America Now! (HCAN) Campaign.
The ACLU welcomes today’s decision, which recognizes that Congress has the constitutional authority to fix a health care system that does not work for millions of Americans.
The decision is especially welcome for low-income communities of color, who are more likely to be uninsured, for people with pre-existing conditions, who are more likely to be denied health care insurance, and for women, who are more likely to suffer gaps and discrimination in their health care coverage. We trust that the states will recognize those needs and accept the additional funds that the federal government is offering under the new law to expand Medicaid coverage for their most vulnerable segments of society, including low-income families, people of color, women, seniors and people with disabilities.
In California, we are already building a better, fairer and more secure health care system. Since the passage of the national law, California has already taken huge leaps to ensure expansion of health care coverage to millions of Californians through early state implementation and legislation, and with the Court’s decision today, we will continue to move forward to implement and improve this important law.”