The American Academy of Pediatrics on Thursday praised the U.S. Supreme Court for upholding the Affordable Care Act.
“Today, the Supreme Court upheld a law that invests in children’s health from the ground up,” AAP President Robert W. Block said in a statement emailed to journalists. “The Academy endorsed the Affordable Care Act because it addresses the same ‘A-B-C’ goals that are entrenched in our mission and in our 82 years of child health advocacy: providing all children in this country with Access to health care services, age-appropriate Benefits to meet their unique needs, and high-quality, affordable health care Coverage.”
The Academy filed three "friends of the court” briefs to the Supreme Court in support of the Affordable Care Act’s Medicaid expansion, individual mandate and the mandate’s severability from the rest of the statute.
“Pediatricians have already seen firsthand that health reform works,” Block said. “Since the Affordable Care Act took effect, millions of children with pre-existing conditions gained health care coverage; 14 million children with private insurance received preventive health services with no co-pay; and 3.1 million more young adults gained coverage through their parents’ plans. These are just a few of the law’s investments in child health, with many more set to take effect over the next few years as affirmed by today’s decision.”
The Academy said it will work with the Obama Administration to ensure that the law’s ongoing implementation continues to benefit children and pediatricians.
To date, the Academy said, it has submitted more than 50 comments to Affordable Care Act regulations pertaining to child health.
“As pediatricians, our number one goal is to keep children healthy," Block said, "and we can now do so knowing that a landmark law prioritizes children’s health needs and provides them with the access to care, age-appropriate benefits and coverage options they need and deserve.”
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