AAMC (Association of American Medical Colleges) President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, MD, issued the following statement regarding the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas ruling on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA):
“The AAMC and its member medical schools and teaching hospitals strongly disagree with the district judge’s ruling. As we stated in an amicus brief filed jointly with several national hospital associations, dismantling the ACA will be disastrous for the nation’s health care system.
Patients—particularly those with preexisting and complex conditions—require stability and continuity in their care. Without access to affordable meaningful coverage, many would forego or delay necessary medical care. This ruling puts millions of Americans, including the most vulnerable patients, at risk.
As this case proceeds through the appeals process, the AAMC will continue to fight to ensure that all Americans have access to the health care they need.”
The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association dedicated to transforming health care through innovative medical education, cutting-edge patient care, and groundbreaking medical research. Its members are all 154 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 51 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and more than 80 academic societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC serves the leaders of America’s medical schools and teaching hospitals and their more than 173,000 full-time faculty members, 89,000 medical students, 129,000 resident physicians, and more than 60,000 graduate students and postdoctoral researchers in the biomedical sciences.