Media Contact:
Deborah V. Hall, MD
Phone: (703) 620-6600
Email: [email protected]
Future Physicians Applaud Supreme Court’s Decision to Protect Access to Care
Sterling, Va. – Today, the Supreme Court of the United States upheld access to health care for more than 6 million low- and middle-income Americans, ruling 6-3 that tax credits for individuals enrolled through federal exchanges are lawful. The American Medical Student Association (AMSA) commends this decision.
Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was enacted, more than 12 million previously uninsured adults have gained access to care. In 34 states that declined to establish their own health care exchanges, over 7.5 million people depend on federal exchanges for coverage. Without subsidies, as many as 6 million could have lost their health insurance.
“Chief Justice Roberts captured the essence of what was at stake when he stated, ‘Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them,’” said Dr. Deborah V. Hall, national president of AMSA. “While the ACA is far from perfect and still leaves too many Americans without access to care, I am relieved that the Supreme Court rejected the plaintiffs’ argument and did not leave 6 million Americans without health coverage.”
For more than 60 years, AMSA has been committed to advocating for a quality, affordable health care system that benefits both patients and physicians. AMSA believes the best solution to the health care crisis is a publicly financed, federally administered, and privately delivered system of health care for all.
About the American Medical Student Association
AMSA is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. To learn more about AMSA, our strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online at www.amsa.org/.
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Sources:
March 31, 2015 Effectuated Enrollment Snapshot, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. http://www.cms.gov/Newsroom/MediaReleaseDatabase/Fact-sheets/2015-Fact-sheets-items/2015-06-02.html
Collins SR, Rasmussen PW, Doty MM, Beutel S. Tracking Trends in Health system performance; Commonwealth Fund Americans’ Experiences with Marketplace and Medicaid Coverage; Findings from the Commonwealth Fund Affordable Care Act Tracking Survey, March–May 2015. pub. 1822 Vol. 16
http://www.commonwealthfund.org/~/media/files/publications/issue-brief/2015/jun/1822_collins_americans_experience_marketplace_medicaid_tb.pdf