As the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in a case that could determine the fate of the Affordable Care Act, Vice President-elect Kamala Harris says the results of the election show millions of Americans do not want the law to be struck down.
Harris said on Tuesday, “Now, I know we all know that we just had an election in America. An election where healthcare was very much on the ballot.”
She continued:
“Our country had a clear choice in this election. Each and every vote for Joe Biden was a statement that healthcare in America should be a right and not a privilege. Each and every vote for Joe Biden was a vote to protect and expand the Affordable Care Act not to tear it away in the midst of a global pandemic.”
Harris went on to say that Biden “decisively” won the election. She added, “It amounts to 75 million voices and counting calling on the Supreme Court to see this case for what it is: a blatant attempt to overturn the will of the people.”
She said, “The president-elect and I cannot let that happen.”
"Joe Biden won the election decisively," Vice President-elect Kamala Harris says.
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 10, 2020
"Each and every vote for Joe Biden was a vote to protect and expand the Affordable Care Act—not to tear it away in the midst of a global pandemic." https://t.co/n7HIlGcur7 pic.twitter.com/gOAtD2Gh71
During Justice Amy Coney Barrett’s confirmation process, Senate Democrats raised concerns about her stances on the ACA and whether she would vote to strike down the law.
However, Barrett did not provide an answer on how she would vote on the case. But, she told senators, “I am not here on a mission to destroy the Affordable Care Act.”
“I’m just here to apply the law and adhere to the rule of law,” she added.
By Tuesday afternoon, it appeared that conservative justices are unlikely to strike down the healthcare law after hearing arguments in the case.
Specifically, the justices appeared to be skeptical of the argument that if the individual mandate in the law is deemed unconstitutional, then the entire law must be struck down.
That provision required Americans to get insurance or pay a penalty. However, President Donald Trump signed a law in his first year in office the eliminated the penalty.
While Republicans have argued that the entire law should now be struck down, Chief Justice John Roberts said, “It’s hard for you to argue that Congress intended the entire act to fall if the mandate was struck down.”