Catholic Lobby Responds to 5th Circuit Ruling Against ACA

For Immediate Release: December 19, 2019
Contact: Lee Morrow, lmorrow@networklobby.org, 202-601-7871

Catholic Lobby Responds to 5^th Circuit Ruling Against ACA
Sr. Simone: “The faithful way forward is to ensure access to healthcare for all in our nation.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. – NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice is deeply disappointed by the ruling of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals which jeopardizes healthcare for 30 million children, women and men. The Court continues the cruel effort by Republicans to strip health coverage from hardworking families and vulnerable individuals knowing that lack of access to insurance leads to death.

The vital protections for those without insurance, as well as the 167 million people with pre-existing conditions, hang by a thread due to the repeated, hyperpartisan attacks on the Affordable Care Act by the Trump Administration and the Republican party.

As we begin the holy season of Christmas, vulnerable families will continue to wait anxiously to see if they get to keep their healthcare or if the Courts – at the request of the Trump Administration and the assistance of Republican governors across the country – will strip it away.

It is time for the Administration to stop playing politics with people’s lives. Health is a universal right and access to healthcare services cannot be a privilege for those with means.

Sister Simone Campbell, SSS, Executive Director of NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice said:

“At this time of Christmas, it is shocking that once again vulnerable families are being taken advantage of. The 5th Circuit ruling threatens the healthcare access of millions of people in our nation. We live in a time when the Attorney General refuses to protect the American people, and states are forced to fight the federal government to protect anguished families whose healthcare coverage is at risk. This needs to be settled. The faithful way forward is to ensure access to healthcare for all in our nation.”

###

NETWORK Lobby for Catholic Social Justice – advocates for justice inspired by Catholic Sisters – educates, organizes, and lobbies for economic and social transformation. They have a nearly 50-year track record of lobbying for critical federal programs that support those at the margins and prioritize the common good. www.networklobby.org