WASHINGTON, D.C. – In a video posted on his social media accounts today, Senator Angus King (I-Maine) spoke out against the recent Department of Justice move to undermine the Affordable Care Act’s provisions protecting people with pre-existing conditions from discrimination by insurance companies. The full video can be watched HERE.

“You may not have heard about this but tragically and amazingly in my mind, the Administration has gone to court to ask the courts to rule the pre-existing condition protections in the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional,” said Senator King in the video. “It makes no sense and it’s downright cruel. What this means is that anybody that has any kind of healthcare issue in their past could either be denied health insurance, or charged so much for it that it amounts to a denial. This is one of the most popular provisions of the Affordable Care Act, it makes common sense, and it’s – like I say, you can tell, I’m sort of flummoxed by this. I don’t know why they would make this decision. It’s awful for the American people, and I hope the courts reject it, and I hope that Congress intervenes and says ‘No, this is not in any way what we intended.’”

Senator King has been outspoken in opposition to Administration moves and legislative proposals that seek to undermine the Affordable Care Act, and in October, he spoke on the Senate floor in advance of ACA Open Enrollment Period regarding the “sabotage” efforts underway from the Administration. At the same time, Senator King has pursued agreements that would improve the Affordable Care Act to protect coverage for the millions who rely on it for affordable health care, and has developed several proposals to make common sense fixes to the legislation. During the health care debate last summer, Senator King outlined a roadmap of health care priorities to stabilize the health care marketplace and lower the underlying costs of treatment and health coverage for people in Maine and across the country. He is a cosponsor of the bipartisan bill introduced by Senators Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Patty Murrary (D-Wash.) to stabilize the individual health insurance marketplace.