Biden to Trump: It's time to stop the lawsuit that would end Obamacare

Even in the middle of a global health pandemic, Donald Trump and his Republican allies are fighting in court to take health care away from millions of Americans. On Monday, former Vice President Joe Biden sent a letter to Trump and other Republicans calling on them to drop the lawsuit.

“At a time of national emergency, which is laying bare the existing vulnerabilities in our public health infrastructure, it is unconscionable that you are continuing to pursue a lawsuit designed to strip millions of Americans of their health insurance and protections under the Affordable Care Act,” Biden wrote. “I am therefore calling on each of you to drop your support of litigation to repeal the ACA.”

The letter was sent on the 10th anniversary of former President Barack Obama’s signing the health care act into law. Biden is currently the frontrunner to be this year’s Democratic nominee for president.

Addressed to Trump, state attorneys general, and Gov. Tate Reeves (R-MS), the letter refers to a lawsuit filed by Republican state officials who are seeking to overturn Obamacare. The Trump administration supports the lawsuit, even though its success would mean 21 million Americans could lose their health insurance.

In early March, the Supreme Court agreed to hear the lawsuit.

Obamacare “is the reason 100 million people with pre-existing conditions—including conditions like asthma and diabetes that make them at higher-risk for adverse health impacts from the coronavirus—don’t have to worry about being charged more or denied coverage,” Biden wrote.

Biden added that having health insurance is about “the peace of mind that comes from knowing that if your kid gets sick, you will be able to get them the care they need,” and that during a health crisis, it is “part of the assurance that you can seek the treatment you and your loved ones need.”

The continued fight against health care for millions of people “is a dereliction of your sworn duty,” Biden told the Republicans.

Even as Trump seeks to take health care away from people, his administration is using provisions of Obamacare in its coronavirus response.

On March 4, Mike Pence announced that the administration had “designated the coronavirus test as an essential health benefit,” meaning that, “by definition, it’s covered in the private health insurance of every American, as well as covered by Medicare and Medicaid.”

Essential health benefits were created under the act as “a set of 10 categories of services health insurance plans must cover,” according to healthcare.gov. Other essential benefits include emergency care, cancer screenings, and pregnancy and newborn care.

“If there was ever a moment to set aside politics, it is now,” Biden wrote. “All you have to do is drop your support for this ill-conceived lawsuit, which is even more dangerous and cruel in this moment of national crisis.”

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.