On December 15, 2018, the American Academy of Family Physicians issued a statement attributable to AAFP President John Cullen, MD, relative to a Texas judge’s decision that the ACA is unconstitutional. The statement reads as follows:
“Friday’s ruling in the Texas v. Azar lawsuit will potentially have a profoundly negative impact on our patients. The AAFP strongly disagrees with legal decisions and legislation that limit our patients’ access to health care. If this decision stands, millions of patients are at serious risk of losing the protection of affordable, meaningful health insurance.”
“Meaningful, affordable health insurance is paramount for all Americans, particularly the more than 52 million people who have pre-existing conditions such as cancer, asthma, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other life-threatening or serious chronic diseases.”
“Family physicians and primary medical care are the foundation of our health care system. Every day, family physicians work to prevent complications of our patients’ pre-existing or chronic illnesses. That’s why we support provisions in the current law that require insurance plans to cover pre-existing conditions. It’s also why we support the current law’s provisions that establish 10 essential benefits—such as lab tests, procedures, and prescriptions—which all patients need to prevent health problems and to monitor or treat pre-existing health conditions.”
“We will be steadfast in our support of these protections as we work with Congress to develop legislation that ensures our patients have insurance coverage for both pre-existing conditions and the medical care necessary to prevent relapse and complications.”
The impact of this Texas v. Azar decision is not immediate. The judge did not require an immediate suspension of the law or its provisions and the White House quickly clarified that the law would continue to be applicable, pending future appeals. It is almost certain that the case will be appealed to the 5th Circuit in New Orleans.