07.10.2019 / Press Release
Statement: House Oversight and Reform Committee Hearing
Washington, D.C. – One day after oral arguments for the Texas v. United States lawsuit were presented to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court, Families USA executive director Frederick Isasi testified at the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s hearing, “The Trump Administration’s Attack on the ACA.”
Isasi’s testimony discussed the disastrous effects on families across this nation if federal judges choose to strike down the Affordable Care Act in the Texas v. United States lawsuit. If this suit succeeds, 20 million people in America will lose health insurance. Millions who retain coverage will experience skyrocketing health care costs while vital consumer protections are ripped away from people with preexisting conditions, women, older adults, and others who need health care.
His testimony focused on six populations that will be inordinately affected if the ACA is repealed:
- People enrolled the individual market
- The uninsured
- People enrolled in employer-sponsored insurance
- Rural residents
- America’s veterans
- Medicare beneficiaries
“With bipartisanship possible, it saddens me greatly to be here today to discuss the impact of this lawsuit. As you’ve heard and it bears repeating, if the ACA is struck down, 20 million people in America will lose health insurance coverage. Period.
Beyond that, vital consumer protections will be stripped from people with preexisting conditions, women, and older adults. For those of us who receive our health insurance from employers, hundreds of millions of Americans, we could be subject again to annual or lifetime limits in our health insurance policy – meaning we could lose access to coverage when we are the sickest and need it most,” said Isasi, an author of the ACA.
Two health care consumers, Stephanie Burton (Kansas City, MO) and Paul Gibbs who are members of Families USA’s storybank, also testified at the hearing. Burton, an attorney and single mom of four who has pre-existing conditions, told the panel, “This is not a political issue. This is a ‘Why are we turning back the hands of time?’ issue.”
RESOURCES:
Frederick Isasi’s written testimony is here.
Video of Frederick Isasi’s testimony, starting at the 58:26 mark is here.
Families USA’s Texas v. United States toolkit is here.
MEDIA OPPORTUNITIES:
Frederick Isasi, Families USA, Executive Director
Eliot Fishman, Families USA, Senior Director of Policy
Stephanie Burton, Health care consumer; Missouri
Paul Gibbs, Health care consumer; Utah