WASHINGTON, June 30, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, in what was the perhaps the most anticipated decision to come from the Supreme Court of the United States in many years, the high court upheld most of the provisions of the Affordable Care Act and declared the individual mandate constitutional. The Supreme Court also partly upheld the provision of the Act which expands the Medicaid program allowing millions of under-insured and underserved Americans to have access to the health care system.
LULAC has been a strong supporter of provisions in the Act that were upheld today which include: allowing young adults to stay on their parents insurance until the age of 26; improving prescription drug coverage and preventative benefits for seniors and others who rely on Medicare; allowing health coverage for individuals with pre-existing conditions, such as children with asthma or diabetes; women will no longer be charged discriminatory premiums; and moderate- and middle-income families will receive tax-credit subsidies so that insurance premiums are affordable.
"Today's decision is a win for the American people as tens of millions of uninsured Americans will gain health care coverage including an estimated 6 million Latinos," said LULAC National President Margaret Moran. "We support the decision of the Supreme Court upholding individual mandates and thereby ensuring that we get closer to universal health care coverage for all."
LULAC believes that every American has the right to reasonably accessible culturally and linguistically appropriate, quality health care. LULAC has advocated that equality within the health care system is one of the essential human rights issues among the Latino community in this country. There are many provisions in the Affordable Care Act that provide much needed benefits to many Americans and upholding these provisions is central to LULAC's mission to bridge the divide that allow disparities in health care access to exist.
"Because our community lacks health care access we often don't seek the preventative measures necessary to limit or avoid the development of life threatening illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and cancer," continued Moran.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation's largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 900 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC's programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.lulac.org.
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=12386