Attorney General Maura Healey and a coalition of other attorneys general saw a victory this week in their fight against the Trump administration’s attempts to shut down the Affordable Care Act (ACA).
A lawsuit by twelve state attorneys general led by Healey in Massachusetts and New York’s Attorney General Letitia James challenged a rule from the U.S. Dept. of Labor that would block consumer protection measures in the Affordable Care Act.
In an interview with Boston Public Radio Friday, Healey said protecting the ACA is a major priority for her office. “I don't know how else to put it: The Trump administration is obsessed with taking away people's healthcare,” Healey said. “That's what this is about, plain and simple. The Affordable Care Act is essentially ... healthcare in this country, it is the way that Americans are receiving health care.”
The Trump administration this week joined attorneys general in 20 Republican-led states in a move seeking to overturn the ACA. “The decision that the Trump administration made last week to go after the ACA is really alarming,” Healey said. “We're going to do everything we can ... to stop this from happening.”
According to Healey, healthcare is an issue that will motivate people to vote in the next presidential election. “This is a horrible decision by the Trump administration,” she said, “and I think you'll see this be the central fight as we move into to 2020.”
