WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), a member of the U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, on Thursday applauded the passage of the Protecting Americans with Pre-Existing Conditions Act (H.R. 896) in the U.S. House of Representatives and called out Republicans for their complicity in the Trump sabotage of the health care system.

“Our health care system is teetering on the verge of collapse. The Trump administration has spent the last two years sabotaging our health care system and working to strip protections for those with pre-existing conditions. I’m glad to see Democrats shielding Americans from these partisan attacks by passing Rep. Kuster’s legislation today in the House and pushing back against the administration’s efforts to use the full weight of government to deny Americans health coverage. Making sure everyone has access to good health care is what voters said they wanted in the midterm elections. The Trump administration should pay attention to that message,” said Murphy.

Last year, 18 Republican Attorneys General—led by Texas—sued the federal government, arguing that protections for those with pre-existing conditions in the Affordable Care Act are unconstitutional. The Trump administration took the unprecedented step to side with the partisan lawsuit, threatening health insurance coverage for over 20 million Americans. In December, Murphy blasted the ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor, who threw out the Affordable Care Act in its entirety, throwing the American health care system into chaos. The lawsuit also jeopardizes health insurance for 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions. The U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals will hear arguments in this lawsuit in July.

 

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