Scott, Neal, Pallone, Maloney Applaud HHS Restoring Key Nondiscrimination Protections
WASHINGTON – Today, Education and Labor Committee Chairman Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (D-VA), House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-NA), Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), and Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn B. Maloney (D-NY) applauded the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) decision to reinstate nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized communities, which the previous administration sought to undermine. The Chairs released the following statement:
“We applaud the Biden administration’s decision to reinstate vital patient protections for LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized communities. Such protections should never have been rolled back under the previous administration. This rule was in glaring contradiction to both the plain language and intent of Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, as well as the Supreme Court’s recent ruling in Bostock v. Clayton County. It was particularly dangerous amidst the heightened health threats from the COVID-19 pandemic. With this decision, President Biden’s HHS is sending a strong signal that discrimination has no place in our health care system. We thank the administration for taking this crucial step, and will continue fighting to ensure our health care system is more equitable for all people in the United States.”
The House Committee Chairs sent a letter to former HHS Secretary Azar on May 1, 2020, urging him not to finalize a rule that would erode core nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ people and other marginalized communities under the Affordable Care Act. After Secretary Azar finalized the discriminatory rule on June 19, 2020, the Committee Chairs sent a second letter to Secretary Azar on July 8, 2020, demanding that he rescind the discriminatory rule in light of the Supreme Court’s decision in Bostock v. Clayton County.
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