A bipartisan group of nine governors signed a letter June 18 criticizing the U.S. Justice Department for refusing to defend the Affordable Care Act against a lawsuit that seeks to end protections for patients with pre-existing conditions.
A group of 20 Republican-led states filed a lawsuit in February claiming the ACA's individual mandate was rendered unconstitutional after the tax penalty was removed. They also claim protections for pre-existing conditions can't be separated from the mandate and should be invalidated.
Gov. John Kasich, R-Ohio; Gov. John Hickenlooper, D-Colo.; Gov. Bill Walker, I-Alaska; Gov. Tom Wolf, D-Pa.; Gov. Brian Sandoval, R-Nev.; Gov. Roy Cooper, D-N.C.; Gov. Steve Bullock, D-Mont.; Gov. Jay Inslee, D-Wash., and Gov. Larry Hogan, R-Md., all signed the letter.
"Everyone in this country deserves access to affordable, quality health insurance. The administration's disappointing decision to no longer defend this provision of federal law threatens healthcare coverage for many in our states with pre-existing conditions and adds uncertainty and higher costs for Americans who purchase their own health insurance," the governors wrote.