Chairman Scott Applauds Roll Back of Trump Rule that Supported Taxpayer-Funded Discrimination Against Patients
WASHINGTON – Chairman Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Biden-Harris administration issued a proposed rule to partially rescind a Trump-era rule that would have allowed religiously motivated discrimination against health care patients in federally-funded programs.
“Today, the Biden-Harris administration took yet another step to revive and improve critical civil rights protections against discrimination that were gutted by the Trump administration.
“Under the previous administration, the Department of Health and Human Services attempted to allow federally funded hospitals, insurance companies, and other health care providers to refuse care and services to patients under the guise of religious liberty. In other words, this measure would have directed taxpayer dollars to health care providers who choose to weaponize their religious beliefs and restrict health care services to only those who share those same beliefs.
“When people are denied treatment from a federally funded medical provider, on the basis of invidious discrimination, they are the victims of discrimination. We should not redefine the victims in this situation to be the medical provider who seeks to have the right discriminate protected.
“Thankfully, attempts to misinterpret religious liberty in federal policy have been thwarted by legal challenges from states, cities, and civil rights advocates. The Biden-Harris administration has repeatedly demonstrated a clear understanding that religious liberty should protect the free exercise of religion—not impose religious beliefs on others or violate our civil rights.
“I applaud the Biden-Harris administration for today’s critical step to restore patients’ access to the health care they need and to strengthen protections for all Americans against unlawful discrimination.”
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