What you need to know about a new threat to the Affordable Care Act

Last month, we discussed the Trump administration’s ongoing efforts to sabotage the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a law that has helped four million Latino adults and 600,000 Latino children gain health coverage. These sabotage efforts include declining to defend the law in a lawsuit—Texas v. United States—that would repeal the ACA in its entirety.

Not only are our community’s coverage gains at risk, this case could jeopardize access to comprehensive health coverage for 20 million Latinos with preexisting conditions.

On September 5, oral arguments in the case were heard in a U.S. District Court in Texas. Here’s what you need to know about this case:

• In February, the Texas Attorney General and Republican leaders in 19 other states filed a lawsuit in a U.S. District Court in Texas to overturn the ACA. If successful, this lawsuit would repeal the ACA, including the law’s consumer protections, the Medicaid expansion program, as well as the law’s premium tax credits that help people purchase health coverage.

• In June, the Trump administration came out in favor of removing critical consumer protections from the law like banning discrimination against people with preexisting conditions and limiting how much older Americans can be charged for health coverage. This highly unusual move significantly increases the likelihood that this case will move forward. A group of 17 Democratic state attorneys general, led by California, have intervened to defend the ACA in place of the Trump administration.

• On September 5, the district court judge heard oral arguments in this case, and the judge could rule soon after that. The judge could rule to stop enforcement of the ACA in all or some states, or he could rule that the law should stand in its entirety. It is also possible that the court will rule in favor of the Trump administration, which would remove consumer protections for people with preexisting conditions.

No matter the outcome in the U.S. District Court, the fight to protect our care continues. Whether efforts to undermine our access to health coverage come from the Trump administration, Congress, or the courts, we must continue to pay attention and make our voices heard. Stay tuned for more information about this case and what you can do to protect our care!