California Medical Association President David H. Aizuss, M.D. issued the following statement in reaction to Judge Reed O’Conner’s ruling against the Affordable Care Act:

“This irresponsible decision is a clear example of judicial overreach that threatens access to essential health care for millions of Americans. Millions of Americans with preexisting conditions have been put in jeopardy, as have millions who were previously priced out of the health care market. California has shown that the Affordable Care Act works. Under the ACA, we have extended access to nearly 5.5 million Californians who were previously without coverage. While we hope the U.S. Supreme Court will eventually reverse this reckless Texas decision, California will continue to move forward under the Newsom Administration, bringing providers, patient advocates and other stakeholders together to bring quality, affordable care to all California residents.”

Read CMA's joint statement with other California health care groups, condemning the Texas court ACA ruling for striking “at the heart of everything the ACA has accomplished in California and cast[ing] a shadow of fear over the lives of real people."

BACKGROUND:

Nearly 5.5 million Californians gained health and economic security through the Affordable Care Act.  Nearly 4 million Californians signed up for Medi-Cal under the ACA’s expanded eligibility requirements, and other 1.5 million received subsidized coverage through the state-run exchange, Covered California.

Since 2014, California’s uninsured population has dropped more than any other state, from 17% of the population to 7%.