As COVID-19 ravages the nation and grinds the economy to a halt, our health care system is struggling to meet the challenges posed by the worst domestic crisis in over a century. Which makes it all the more baffling that 18 Republican state attorneys general and the Trump Administration are asking the Supreme Court to strike down one of our greatest public health resources, the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This crisis exposes the lawsuit, California v. Texas, for what it truly is: a politically motivated and irresponsible effort that puts our healthcare system and all of us at risk. 

The ACA provides health care coverage for many Americans during a pandemic that the Centers for Disease Control estimates could kill up to 1.7 million. The ACA insures over 22 million individuals directly through subsidized Marketplace private insurance plans and expanded access to comprehensive Medicaid coverage (in the 37 states, including the District of Columbia, that have adopted it). More Americans gain coverage through provisions in the law that allow young adults to remain on their parents’ plans until age 26 or prohibit the exclusion of those living with pre-existing conditions.

As a result, millions can seek medical counseling and treatment for COVID-19-related conditions. This is not only crucial for these people, but important for our nation as a whole because it ensures those infected will be identified and treated rather than continuing to spread the virus.

But even more of the ACA’s greatest contributions to this fight will be realized in the months ahead. 

For example, the ACA requires health insurance plans to cover federally-approved vaccines free of charge. Assuming a COVID-19 vaccine eventually becomes available, the law will ensure access to no-cost vaccinations for many health insurance beneficiaries, dramatically boosting our ability to quickly inoculate the U.S. population. 

And in the face of a likely economic downturn, ACA programs and policies will prove even more important. The Department of Labor reported almost 10 million unemployment insurance claims during the last two weeks of March alone. A Goldman Sachs report estimates that the jobless rate will reach as high as 9 percent. Others forecast even bleaker figures. 

Obamacare’s subsidized private health insurance plans will be the best option for the millions of Americans who have lost or will lose their jobs and, as a result, their employer-sponsored coverage. Similarly, for those who fall into a precarious financial situation, Medicaid expansion can provide a comprehensive health care safety net.

The lawsuit advanced by the state attorneys general and the Trump Administration, California v. Texas, imperils all of this and more. The ACA opponents in the case want the Supreme Court to declare the law’s individual mandate – which requires almost everyone in the country to either secure health insurance or pay a tax – unconstitutional. But they don’t want to simply excise this provision from the law. They want the entire Affordable Care Act to be declared unconstitutional. One federal judge has already agreed with their theory, and the case is now set for Supreme Court review later this year. 

Lives are on the line. We are asking Attorney General William Barr, and the 18 state attorneys general to drop their case—because if they get what they want, none of us are prepared for the public health and economic consequences that will follow.