Democracy Forward President & CEO Skye Perryman: “Americans deserve a government that protects their health, not one that puts it at risk.”
Washington, D.C. – On Tuesday, Democracy Forward and a coalition of cities, public health professionals, and small business advocates filed a lawsuit to block the Trump-Vance administration’s new rule under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) that would result in 2.2 million Americans losing their health care.
The rule adopted by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services will increase premiums, out-of-pocket costs, and reduce benefits. The plaintiffs in the case are the City of Columbus, the City of Baltimore, the City of Chicago, Doctors for America, and the Main Street Alliance.
Read the filing here.
See Coverage Below:
The Associated Press: Mayors, doctor groups sue over Trump’s efforts to restrict Obamacare enrollment
New Trump administration rules that give millions of people a shorter timeframe to sign up for the Affordable Care Act’s health care coverage are facing a legal challenge from Democratic mayors around the country.
The rules, rolled out last month, reverse a Biden-era effort to expand access to the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance, commonly called “Obamacare” or the ACA. The previous Democratic administration expanded the enrollment window for the coverage, which led to record enrollment.
As many as 2 million people — nearly 10% — are expected to lose coverage from the health department’s new rules.
“This unlawful rule will force families off their health insurance and raise costs on millions of Americans. This does nothing to help people and instead harms Americans’ health and safety across our country,” said Skye Perryman, the president of Democracy Forward, which is representing the coalition of plaintiffs in the lawsuit.
CNN: Group of cities sues Trump administration over new changes to Obamacare enrollment and eligibility
The rule, finalized on June 25, shortens the open enrollment period for Americans buying insurance on the marketplace and ends a monthly special enrollment period for people with incomes below 150% of the federal poverty line. It also introduces more preenrollment requirements, such as income verification checks.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Maryland, was brought by the cities of Chicago, Baltimore and Columbus, Ohio, as well as an association of doctors and a non-profit network of small businesses that rely on the Affordable Care Act marketplace.
The plaintiffs, represented by attorneys with Democracy Forward, are asking the court to wipe away the parts of the new rule they’re challenging.
The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus sues Trump over rules that could push millions from Obamacare, spike health costs
Columbus is once again suing the Trump administration for the health of its citizens, alleging that new proposed federal rules would make it harder to get and keep health insurance coverage.
Ohio’s capital city is represented in the U.S. District Court of Maryland by Democracy Forward and is suing alongside other cities, including Chicago and Baltimore, and doctors’ groups. In the lawsuit, the plaintiffs allege that the rules proposed in June by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services “undermine” the federal Affordable Care Act and would result in roughly 2.2 million Americans losing health care coverage.
Under the rules, Columbus and other plaintiffs claim that their residents and patients would see premiums and out-of-pocket costs rise, a reduction in benefits, and be at risk of getting no coverage at all as insurers would be allowed to refuse enrollment for medical debt as low as $10.
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Democracy Forward Foundation is a national legal organization that advances democracy and social progress through litigation, policy, public education, and regulatory engagement. For more information, please visit www.democracyforward.org.