Howard: Pennsylvania women need the ACA

MALVERN, Oct. 1 – State Rep. Kristine Howard, D-Chester, joined Gov. Tom Wolf and state Sen. Tim Kearney, D-Chester/Delaware, to stress the necessity for affordable health care coverage for Pennsylvanians, especially during an unprecedented pandemic.

“The Affordable Care Act has been a lifeline for hundreds of thousands of Pennsylvanians during the COVID-19 pandemic,” Howard said. “But this lifeline could soon be severed if a radical change to the Supreme Court leads to the end of the Affordable Care Act and the legal precedent of Roe v. Wade.

“If that happens, thousands of Pennsylvanians would lose their health care and women would lose their right to make their own choices in matters of reproductive health.

“Pennsylvania cannot afford to lose life-saving and life-sustaining health care during this moment of crisis.”

During the news conference, the governor, Howard and Kearney discussed the coverage and protections the ACA provides for women and outlined the importance of preserving the law so it can continue to protect the health and safety of Pennsylvanians.

The future of the ACA is under threat as the Supreme Court is currently scheduled to hear arguments in Trump administration-supported litigation challenging a key part of the ACA, and the Supreme Court itself may soon have an additional probable vote against the ACA in the form of President Trump’s most recent nominee Amy Coney Barrett.