In Doylestown, Gov. Wolf Says ACA 'Must Be Protected'
DOYLESTOWN, PA — Gov. Tom Wolf was in Doylestown today to highlight the coverage and protections offered by the Affordable Care Act.
The governor was joined by Rep. Wendy Ullman (D-143) and State Sen. Steven Santarsiero (D-10), who discussed the importance of affordable health care coverage for Pennsylvanians in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, which has claimed more than 8,000 lives across the state.
The news conference was held outdoors in front of the Bucks County Government Administration Building.
Since President Donald Trump's nomination of Amy Coney Barrett to the U.S. Supreme Court, Democrats fear that her appointment could end up being the swing vote when the court plans to hear arguments this November in a lawsuit challenging the law.
"We are living under a cloud here. There's a real specter that threatens us all," Gov. Wolf said.
Passed in 2010, the Affordable Care Act helped ensure roughly 20 million Americans, and the Medicaid expansion provided additional coverage to 750,000 Pennsylvanians, Gov. Wolf said.
State Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation that would offer protections to Pennsylvanians should some or all of the Affordable Care Act be repealed. Senate Bills 50 and 51, sponsored by Sen. Santarsiero, would provide for health care insurance coverage protections and essential health benefits.
"Ten years ago, when the Affordable Care Act was passed, there was a lot of misinformation in an effort to derail expanding coverage across the United States," Sen. Santarsiero said. "We have seen in those ensuing years that this is allowing people to get health care at a reasonable cost. Do we really want to go backward?"
Rep. Ullman has sponsored similar legislation that would guarantee certain aspects of the ACA, including the ability to prevent lifetime caps on life-sustaining coverage.
"Pennsylvanians cannot afford to lose the protections of the ACA during the coronavirus pandemic," Rep. Ullman said.
Related: Who Is Amy Coney Barrett? A Look At Trump's Supreme Court Pick
This article originally appeared on the Doylestown Patch
