WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) joined U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) who led a group of Democratic Senators in responding to the Trump Administration’s attempts to rip health care away from tens of millions of Americans by introducing a new resolution supporting a “health care bill of rights” for all Americans.

Murphy, Blumenthal and Merkley were joined by U.S. Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Brian Schatz (D-Hawai’i), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.).

In the lawsuit Texas v. United States, which was heard in federal court this week, the Trump Administration is arguing for the courts to throw out the entire Affordable Care Act – a decision that would rip health care away from an estimated 20 million or more Americans. If the lawsuit is successful it would throw out the patient protections established by the law, including the right for patients with pre-existing conditions to obtain coverage, the right for young adults to stay on their parents’ health care plans through age 26, and the right for women to obtain coverage without facing gender discrimination on pricing. The resolution affirms keeping those patient protections as a “health care bill of rights” for all Americans.

“This Administration’s constant threat to strip the right to health care from Americans with pre-existing conditions is incredibly harmful and cruel,” said Murphy and Blumenthal. “A pre-existing condition should not define the accessibility or affordability of the care you receive. A health care bill of rights reaffirms our commitment to Americans that health care is a human right and will offer peace of mind to tens of millions around the country.” 

Among other rights, the health care bill of rights supports Americans’:

  1. Right to coverage of essential health benefits with no annual or lifetime limits;
  2. Right to stay on a parent’s health care plan through age 26;
  3. Right to keep coverage after getting sick;
  4. Right to health insurance coverage regardless of preexisting conditions or health status;
  5. Right to free preventive services, such as cancer screenings and annual wellness exams;
  6. Right to mental health and substance abuse coverage; and
  7. Right to obtain health care and insurance coverage free from discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), age, disability, or documentation status.

A copy of the full resolution can be found here.