Tonight it was an honor to represent the state of Arkansas at the White House with @POTUS and @FLOTUS. The Christmas decorations were stunning and Mr. Johnson cleans up well too! pic.twitter.com/netdKR1hZq
— Leslie Rutledge (@AGRutledge) December 15, 2018
Now that a judge in Texas has struck down the Affordable Care Act, you’d think in-boxes would be full of Republican politician press releases cheering the decision, particularly Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, a proud participant in the lawsuit. Crickets so far though Rutledge did distribute a picture of herself partying with Donald and Melania Trump when the news broke. SEE UPDATE
The recent federal court decision is still moving through the courts, and the exchanges are still open for business and we will continue with open enrollment. There is no impact to current coverage or coverage in a 2019 plan.
— Administrator Seema Verma (@SeemaCMS) December 15, 2018
The Affordable Care Act will continue in place while the case is appealed, we were assured by Trump’s head of Medicare and Medicaid, Seema Verma. So no end to coverage of pre-existing conditions just yet. No end to the federal marketplace subsidies just yet. No end to extended family member coverage just yet. No end to required coverage provisions (think birth control, for one). No end to the state-budget-inflating and community-hospital-saving Medicaid expansion. At least not just yet.
But c’mon guys. And by guys I mean Reps. French Hill, Steve Womack, Bruce Westerman
Sen. Joyce Elliott offered a good idea for Arkansas legislators.
Every public official at all levels who wants Obamacare to fail & who has taxpayer subsidized health insurance should give it back and announce publicly they are doing so. https://t.co/TPOyPQIinP
— Joyce Elliott (@xjelliott) December 15, 2018
I did get a release from the American Medical Association.
“Today’s decision is an unfortunate step backward for our health system that is contrary to overwhelming public sentiment to preserve pre-existing condition protections and other policies that have extended health insurance coverage to millions of Americans,” said AMA president Barbara L. McAneny, M.D. “It will destabilize health insurance coverage by rolling back federal policy to 2009. No one wants to go back to the days of 20 percent of the population uninsured and fewer patient protections, but this decision will move us in that direction.”
Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Lt. Gov. Tim Griffin ought to chime in, too.
Did the GOP really mean it when they said they wanted to protect people with pre-existing conditions?
Update: her partying done Rutledge weighs in with what has proved an empty promise from the GOP for years:
“Attorney General Leslie Rutledge U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor of Texas for agreeing with Arkansas, as part of a 20-state coalition, that the Affordable Care Act and its individual mandate are unconstitutional.
“The ruling is a big win for Arkansans,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “Without the individual mandate in place, Obamacare cannot be upheld and is unconstitutional. Now, it is time for Congress to increase options, lower costs and protect those with pre-existing conditions.”