He is at it again. This time, Donald Trump is attempting to destroy the Affordable Care Act in the midst of the Coronavirus pandemic. Just in the past 11 days, we’ve set the record for largest daily increase in the number of new cases seven times. Clearly, the pandemic has not been brought under control. Despite the Republicans’ repeated and failed efforts to repeal Obamacare, Trump’s Justice Department, together with several state attorneys general, have asked the Supreme Court to overturn the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
Not only could Trump’s timing not be worse politically, but it is a moral abomination. More than 40 million Americans have lost their jobs as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. With a health insurance system in which coverage for many is tagged to employment, the loss of a job also means the loss of healthcare. In this reality, purchasing Obamacare or accessing Medicaid, which has been expanded by Obamacare for those states who opted in, can be the only lifeline. The overturning of Obamacare, however, will leave 23 million stripped of coverage and will, once again, permit insurance companies to deny coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. This will leave a staggering 133 million Americans potentially bereft of health insurance.