Celebrating History in the Making

The U.S. Supreme Court reached two historic decisions last week. First, the high court upheld a key provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. By a 6-3 vote, the court kept the financial subsidies in place for the 6.4 million people who enrolled through the federal exchange.


Although Covered California enrollees were not at risk of losing their subsidies because of this case, the court’s decision reaffirms the Affordable Care Act’s place in our country.

As President Barack Obama said, this is no longer about the Affordable Care Act — or Obamacare — this is about health care in America, health care in California. The Affordable Care Act is woven into the fabric of America, with millions of people benefiting from the new protections and financial help that make health care coverage more attainable.

This is our generation’s version of Medicare, our generation’s version of Social Security, our time to stand up and help our fellow citizens lead better lives.

California Health and Human Services Secretary and Covered California Chairwoman Diana Dooley and I wrote an editorial for The Sacramento Bee. We invite you to click on the link, read what the Supreme Court means for health care in America and share the story with your friends.

Now is the time for the nation to move beyond politics and work to improve the law that is working to help millions and has already improved lives in California and across the country.

The other historic ruling was the finding of the Supreme Court in favor of same-sex marriages. I was proud to join hundreds of thousands of my fellow Californinans celebrating both equality of health care and equality of marriage this past Sunday in San Francisco. (Click here to see photos.) In this day and age, Americans deserve an equal right to health care and an equal right to marry.

Thank you.