MCH co-sponsors amicus brief to Supreme Court in defense of Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act

The Patient Protection and Affordable care Act [ACA ] expanded health care coverage in several ways. The major expansion is changing the Medicaid program to cover another 16 million people.

Our present system burdens ordinary Americans and does not deliver services to millions who need them. Bankruptcy, medical debt, and morbidity and mortality all increase in the system as it is now. This is especially true for those who are low income. Uninsured, low income people tend to avoid getting care until they need the hospital. At that point we all pay for their care through cost shifting. Sometimes it is too late and the patient dies. The Medicaid expansion would end this problem for all those at or below 133% of the Federal Poverty Level.

We dedicate this brief to those who have suffered under the present system – especially to the thousands who have died because they had no insurance and no access to affordable care.