By Ana Martinez-Ortiz
Earlier this week, Wisconsin found out that its request to be dismissed from the lawsuit, Texas v. United States, was granted. The case, which includes multiple states, is a lawsuit that aims to end the Affordable Care Act.
According to the law firm, Sheppard Mullin, Texas is arguing that Patient Protection and the Affordable Care Act are unconstitutional. When the lawsuit was filed back in 2018, many Republican state attorney generals and governors joined in. The result ended up being 20 Republican states against 17 Democratic states, Cheryl Fish-Parcham wrote for Families USA.
However, according to Families USA, if Texas wins “devastating problems would reverberate throughout the health care system.”
“If the challenge to the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act is successful, people with a pre-existing condition will lose critical protections,” said Wisconsin Attorney General, Josh Kaul.
He added, “Health insurance coverage will be imperiled for millions of Americans, the health-insurance market will be destabilized and our efforts to address the opioid epidemic will be undermined.”
According to Families USA, without the Affordable Care Act older individuals and people with pre-existing conditions could be denied coverage or face high premiums. People who receive Medicaid or other federal assistance would lose that coverage. Young adults, who can currently stay on their parents coverage until they turn 26, would “no longer be guaranteed the right.”
Families USA also stated that health benefits such as prescription drug coverage, maternity care, mental health and substance use benefits would not be guaranteed. It also speculated that the state would lose federal funds. It added that there’s health disparities would continue to increase because programs, which aim to eliminate the racial disparities would end.
Wisconsin was among those states until recently, when according to the press release, “The United States Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit today granted Wisconsin’s motion for dismissal from Texas v. United States.”
“People in Wisconsin believe in the protections guaranteed by the Affordable Care Act,” said Gov. Tony Evers in the press release.
Evers explained that he had promised to stop spending Wisconsin taxpayer dollars to fund the lawsuit.
This issue was emphasized by Kaul as well.
“The State of Wisconsin will no longer be using tax dollars to support this lawsuit, which is contrary to interests of Wisconsinites,” Kaul said in his statement.
Wisconsin joined in 2018 when former Gov. Scott Walker was in charge. Evers reiterated that had the lawsuit been in favor of Texas, thousands of Wisconsin residents would’ve lost their healthcare.
He added that in Wisconsin, 2.4 million Wisconsinites have a pre-existing condition and the lawsuit would put their right to healthcare coverage at risk.
“It’s time for Republicans to stop blocking the will of the people and work with us to expand healthcare,” Evers said.