SUPREME COURT HEARS ARGUMENTS IN CASE THAT COULD STRIKE DOWN THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT
(Washington, D.C.) — Today, the Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Texas v. California to review a constitutional challenge to the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
If the Affordable Care Act is struck down, 21 million people could lose affordable health insurance coverage, including 12 million people on Medicaid. With regards to reproductive health care, the ACA requires insurance plans to cover preventative services including all birth control methods approved by the Food and Drug Administration without co-pays or deductibles.
“The ACA has made a significant difference in helping more women access the full spectrum of reproductive health services needed to stay healthy,” said Gillian Sealy, Interim CEO, Power to Decide. “In fact, because of the ACA more than 61 million women have coverage for preventive services including birth control with no out-of-pocket costs. The need for affordable contraception and other preventative services has only increased in recent months as the pandemic has left millions unemployed and without health care coverage. Reversing the ACA would seriously jeopardize all the gains made in women’s reproductive well-being since it became the law of the land.”
At the same time, this is not the only effort to restrict women’s access to contraception. The domestic gag rule and its impact on the Title X Family Planning Programs have further restricted access to birth control for women of low income and those living in rural areas. This has exacerbated the lack of access for the more than 19 million U.S. women who currently live in contraceptive deserts—counties where they lack reasonable access to a clinic offering the full range of contraceptive methods. Earlier this year, the Supreme Court upheld rules allowing any employer to choose not to cover birth control, leaving those who pay for their insurance worried it may not cover care they need.
“Women already face many barriers in access to contraception they need and deserve,” continued Sealy. “Eliminating the ACA would disproportionately impact people of color and those struggling to make ends meet. All people should have the power to decide if, when and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child. The ACA is instrumental in this effort and we cannot go back.”
Power to Decide is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to ensure all people—no matter who they are, where they live or what their economic status might be—have the power to decide if, when and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child. Please visit us at www.PowerToDecide.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
