Ranking Member Scott Statement on Kennedy v. Braidwood Management
WASHINGTON – Ranking Member Robert C. “Bobby” Scott (VA-03) released the following statement after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Kennedy v. Braidwood Management, in which plaintiffs sought to weaken a provision in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that requires private health plans to cover preventive care services at no cost.
“Access to preventive care saves lives. By detecting health problems early on, preventive care helps us address serious diseases—such as colon cancer and high cholesterol—before they become complicated and more expensive to treat. For more than a decade, over four million people in my home of Virginia have been able to count on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to access these services without having to pay anything out of pocket.
“I am pleased that the Supreme Court recognized what we all know: that the structure of the ACA’s preventive services requirement is fundamentally sound. We cannot go back to a time when far too many Americans were forced to choose between financial stability and the care they needed to avert life-threatening diseases.
“While this decision is a victory for working people’s health, we cannot let our guard down. Right now, Congressional Republicans are attempting to make the largest cut to Medicaid in history in their ‘Big Ugly Bill.’ Under this legislation, 19 people will lose their health insurance for every millionaire who gets a tax break. Additionally, over four million Americans will lose access to their health coverage if Congressional Republicans do not extend the subsidies included in the Inflation Reduction Act. I am working with Congressional Democrats to stop these harmful and unfair cuts to working families’ health coverage.
“Moreover, after today’s ruling, it will also be more important than ever to hold the Trump Administration accountable for faithfully implementing this requirement to save lives, reduce racial and ethnic health inequities, and reduce the nation’s health care costs.”
In September 2022, Committee Democrats released a report examining how the preventive services requirement under the ACA has helped provide access to preventive care for the millions of people with health coverage under the ACA, as well as the vast majority of people with coverage through their job.
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