Rep. Maxine Waters (CA-43) issued the following statement after the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit Court heard oral arguments in the Republican-led case of Texas v. U.S., in which the Trump administration urged the court to overturn the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare) in its entirety—including protections for people with pre-existing conditions:
“The Trump-Republican Party is at it again. After failing to ‘repeal and replace’ Obamacare and suffering embarrassing losses in the 2018 midterms, Donald Trump and his Republican allies are once again moving to strip away health coverage and protections for people with preexisting conditions – trying to achieve in the courts what they could not do in Congress.
“While on par with Donald Trump’s lack of morality and basic human decency, the Trump administration’s repeated attempts to completely invalidate Obamacare are further proof that Trump’s incessant lying knows no bounds.
“Last October, Trump stood before the American people and stated ‘We will always protect Americans with preexisting conditions….That’s a major part of what I’m all about.’ During a separate 2018 midterm campaign rally the same week, he stated, ‘I want to take care of people with pre-existing conditions.’
“During his 2019 State of the Union address, he alleged that one of his priorities was ‘to protect patients with preexisting conditions.’ However, the Trump administration argued in Texas v. U.S. that Obamacare should be invalidated completely – including its landmark protections for Americans with preexisting conditions.
“As I have stated before, when this president decides to talk about the health and well-being of working families, children, seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities, the American people should just turn off their televisions.
“Obamacare has been the law of the land for nine years. Since its passage, Obamacare has saved millions of lives and ensured that all Americans have access to quality and affordable health care. If this landmark law is invalidated, 21 million people could lose their health insurance, 12 million adults could lose Medicaid coverage, and 133 million Americans with pre-existing medical conditions—which include Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, cancer, asthma, heart disease, and even pregnancy—could be denied health coverage or be charged significantly higher premiums.
“Democrats created Obamacare, and though it is not a perfect law, my colleagues and I have been on the front lines of the efforts to strengthen the law and protect health coverage for working families, children, seniors, veterans, disabled Americans, and Americans with pre-existing conditions.
“Despite Donald Trump and the Trump-Republican Party’s shameful attacks on Obamacare, we will fight tooth and nail to protect the rights of all Americans to quality, affordable health care, and make certain that Obamacare and its protections for people with pre-existing conditions remain the law of the land.
