'The ACA Is Here To Stay': Florida Lawmakers React To Supreme Court Decision Saving Obamacare

MIAMI (CBSMiami) – Florida Democrats are happy with the Supreme Court decision that saved the Affordable Care Act from another Republican challenge.

In a 7-2 decision, the court ruled that the Republican-led states and two individuals who brought this latest case did not have legal standing to challenge the law's individual mandate.

South Florida Rep. Ted Deutch tweeted on Thursday, "For the third time, the Supreme Court affirmed that the Affordable Care Act is in fact Constitutional. 31 million Americans can keep their insurance. Every American - including people w/ preexisting conditions & mental health needs - will keep their essential benefits."

South Florida Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz tweeted, "The #ACA is here to stay! Despite years of GOP sabotage, SCOTUS just upheld the law for a third time, including protections for people with pre-existing conditions. Democrats will never stop fighting for this vital health care law."

Florida Senator Rick Scott. a Republican, doesn't agree with the decision but does agree in the price of health care should come down.

"Senator Scott has been clear that Obamacare failed and it made health care more expensive, not less. No matter what happens in the courts, Senator Scott's focus remains on bringing down the cost of health care, because even if people have access to health care, it doesn't matter if they can't afford it. That includes making sure people can stay on their parents' plans until they're 26, ensuring people with pre-existing conditions can get health care and reducing the costs of prescription drugs," read Sen. Scott's statement.

Miami cardiologist Dr. Bernard Ashby said everyday he sees South Floridians who do not have access to care, and as a provider, he must bend his back to allow patients to see him without being compensated.

"Currently we still have tremendous issues with poor healthcare coverage, or no healthcare coverage, and as a result of the pandemic a lot of people lost their jobs," says Dr. Ashby.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi declared the decision a "landmark victory" for the Democrats' work in defending protections for people with preexisting conditions. She said democrats have been working to fight against this lawsuit since taking the majority in the House.

The Supreme Court's dismissal leaves Obamacare in place. The act, which has survived multiple Republican attempts to tear it down in the 11 years since it was signed, has had a sweeping impact on the nation's health care system and on the lives of tens of millions of Americans.

Roughly 31 million people have coverage thanks to the Affordable Care Act, including through the Obamacare exchanges and the expansion of Medicaid to low-income adults.

The law also allows parents to keep their children on their health insurance plans until age 26 and enables patients to obtain free mammograms, cholesterol checks and birth control.

One of the law's most popular provisions is its strong protections for those with pre-existing conditions, including barring insurers from denying coverage or charging higher premiums based on people's health histories.

Nearly 54 million Americans -- or 27% of non-elderly adults -- have pre-existing conditions that would make them uninsurable in the individual market prior to the law, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. As many as 133 million Americans could have been denied coverage, had their benefits delayed or curtailed or had to pay more for individual market policies because of their medical backgrounds, according to an Obama administration report.

Since taking office. President Joe Biden has moved to strengthen the Affordable Care Act and embed it even more deeply in the nation's health insurance system.

Biden called Thursday's decision, "a major victory all Americans benefitting from this groundbreaking and life-changing law. It is a victory for more than 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions and millions more who were in immediate danger of losing their health care in the midst of a once-in-a-century pandemic."

He also said in a released statement, "It is a victory for every American who, prior to the Affordable Care Act, stayed up at night staring at the ceiling, wondering whether they would lose everything if they or a loved one got sick. Because of this law, they don't have to worry about being denied coverage due to a pre-existing condition like diabetes or watching their coverage being capped during a cancer treatment. Because of the law, they are able to get free preventive screenings that can save their lives and improve their health. Today's victory is also for all the young people who can stay on their parents' insurance plan until they turn 26 years old, and for the millions of low-income families and people with disabilities receiving health care because their states expanded Medicaid under this law."