GOP Wants To Rip Health Care & Pre-Existing Conditions Protections From 650,000 Washingtonians

Amid Pandemic, Trump Administration Makes Cruel Choice To Rip Away Health Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | June 26, 2020

SEATTLE — Last night the Trump administration and Republican party again reaffirmed its commitment to rip health care away from 23 million Americans, declaring, “the ACA must also fall.” Their legal argument explicitly argues protections for Americans with preexisting conditions should also be killed. 

Trump and his party might be pretending otherwise while they let more than 120,000 Americans die, but we are IN THE MIDDLE OF A PANDEMIC. Continuing this lawsuit is cruel and heartless. If the administration is successful in repealing the ACA, 654,000 Washingtonians will lose coverage. And yet, Washington Republicans are in lockstep with Trump on this issue like they are on everything else — no matter how much Washingtonians will suffer as a result. 

But this betrayal of their constituents shouldn’t be surprising. The Washington GOP is so anti-science and anti-health, their leading candidates for governor oppose wearing masks. 

This isn’t what Washington Democrats stand for. Last year, Governor Inslee signed Rep. Lauren Davis’ bill to reinforce consumer protections in the Affordable Care Act, including the protection of Washingtonians with preexisting conditions and preventing women from being forced to pay for basic and essential health benefits like mammograms and contraception. 

Because Washington Democrats embraced the Affordable Care Act, 800,000 additional Washingtonians gained health care coverage, including 590,000 through Medicaid expansion and Washington state has created more than 50,000 jobs.

“The Trump administration’s latest court filing proves what we’ve known to be true since he took office: Americans cannot trust any Republican to protect their health care,” said Tina Podlodowski, Chair of the Washington State Democratic Party. “Wherever the GOP is attacking Americans’ health care, whether in Congress, the courts, or at the ballot box, Washington Democrats will fight tooth and nail to oppose them.”