Release: During Pandemic, 558,000 Louisianans Could Lose Health Coverage from Jeff Landry’s ACA Repeal Lawsuit

During Pandemic, 558,000 Louisianans Could Lose Health Coverage from Jeff Landry’s ACA Repeal Lawsuit

BATON ROUGE, LA – A new study shows that over 558,000 Louisianans could lose their health coverage if the Supreme Court sides with Donald Trump and Jeff Landry’s lawsuit to overturn the Affordable Care Act in the midst of the pandemic. These new numbers come at the same time the Trump administration is filing its opening briefs with the Supreme Court in its ACA repeal lawsuit, California v. Texas.

This increase of Louisianans who rely on the ACA for health coverage is due to the record numbers of job losses during the COVID-19 pandemic. If this repeal is successful, nearly 11% of Louisianans could lose coverage – a higher rate than the rest of the nation.

“As record numbers are losing their employer-based insurance, Louisianans are relying on the Affordable Care Act for their health coverage more than ever before,” Stephen Handwerk, Executive Director of the Louisiana Democratic Party said. “During this health crisis, the ACA is one of our most critical tools to protect Americans from the consequences of the coronavirus. Because of the ACA, hundreds of thousands of Louisiana families aren’t bankrupted just because they caught COVID-19. And over 50,000 Louisianans who caught the virus can’t be discriminated against by their insurance company because of this pre-existing condition.

“And yet, Jeff Landry has doubled down on the Trump administration’s lawsuit to rip coverage and pre-existing condition protections away from those most vulnerable. Landry dragged Louisiana into this lawsuit with no warning, no knowledge of how this would affect our state, and no plan in sight to replace the ACA. Now, in the midst of a global health crisis, his attempt to defend the Trump administration’s lawsuit is even more tone deaf and dangerous.”