Ten years ago, President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, known simply as the Affordable Care Act, or even more simply as Obamacare. Ten years after dozens and dozens of repeal bills from Republicans and court cases, and three years to Trump sabotage, the law has held. That's largely because of Republican ineptitude—they couldn't replace it if their lives depend on it.
Now that lives DO depend on it in perhaps the most urgent way ever, in the midst of a pandemic, the law faces the biggest threat ever. In the past, the people have been able to exercise their political will and stop Republicans from destroying it by voting Republicans out. Now it's going to be up to a conservative Supreme Court to decide, a court that isn't responsive to the will of the people, and doesn't have to be because they're not elected. Right now, in the middle of this pandemic, one thing could happen to keep our current healthcare system (as deficient as it's proving to be) intact: Trump could withdraw the challenge to the law. That's what both Democratic front-runner Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are calling on him to do.
In a letter to Trump Monday, Biden wrote "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 (ACA), including the ban on insurers denying coverage or raising premiums due to pre-existing conditions."
On Monday, Pelosi celebrated the ACA, telling Trump to "abandon his lawsuit seeking to strike down the Affordable Care Act." Instead of trying to destroy the law, she said, he should "urge the 14 states who have refused to expand Medicaid, to do so." That would bring millions more people into health coverage and save lives.
In Sunday's now-regular press conference substituting for a political rally, Trump was asked "Given that people are losing their jobs now and need health care more than ever would you consider rethinking your position" on the law suit? Trump being Trump said of course not. “And what we want to do is get rid of the bad health care and put in a great health care. And we will always—I will say this, I can make this commitment to you, the Republican Party is fully backing preexisting conditions."
That is, of course, a lie. Even now, Trump is allowing junk insurance plans that DON'T cover preexisting conditions to be sold as long-term plans. Then he lied some more, in the least coherent, 3rd-grade level he knows how: "[W]e'd like to get rid of bad healthcare. Now we are running the bad healthcare much better than it was ever run and we're making it better. But it could be much better than it is. And so what we want to do is terminate it, have a great healthcare. But we will only do it with preexisting. We will back preexisting conditions. Okay?"
Not okay. Nothing under Donald Trump is okay.
But at least Americans in 36 states have some access to expanded Medicaid. Millions of people all over the country has affordable health insurance plans that DO cover their preexisting conditions. Lives have been saved, thanks to the Affordable Care Act and the Democrats who have been fighting to keep it. Yes, it absolutely must be improved, and yes, single-payer is the ultimate solution. But in the near term, saving what we have is paramount.