During his weekly media call with members of the Alabama press, U.S. Sen. Doug Jones, D-AL, blasted the latest attempts by President Donald Trump and Republican-led states to undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which is currently facing a lawsuit that could unravel the entire federal healthcare law.

Over the Fourth of July holiday, Jones traveled to various communities across Alabama to talk with residents about healthcare, a trend he continues with a stop in Selma today, and hear their concerns, many of which centered around making healthcare easier to access.

“That’s why, frankly, I’m really concerned about the ongoing attempts to dismantle our federal healthcare law that’s been on the books now for quite a while,” Jones said. “Especially what that would mean for the protections that people have with pre-existing conditions and the bans on annual and lifetime coverage caps.”

Jones noted that a federal appeals court in New Orleans heard oral arguments this week in a lawsuit filed by 20 state Attorney Generals, including Alabama, claiming that the healthcare law is unconstitutional, a suit he said is supported by the Trump administration and is “yet another attempt to take healthcare away from folks.”

“I can’t emphasize enough how much this lawsuit would hurt people who rely on healthcare coverage that was really made possible by this law,” Jones said. “And for people with pre-existing conditions, or who really rely on the coverage for expensive medications and treatment, upholding the law could literally be a life or death matter.”

If the law is struck down, Jones said, Alabama will be one of the states that suffers the most, as more than 166,000 Alabamians’ healthcare coverage would be in jeopardy if the law is undone.

Further, Jones added, one-third of people under 65 in Alabama, more than 942,000 people, have a pre-existing condition and could be denied coverage or charged more to get it.

“Public officials across the board should be focusing on increasing access to healthcare, making it easier for folks to get the care they need, like expanding Medicaid, not trying to undo our entire healthcare system, putting people’s lives and livelihoods at risk,” Jones said. “I’m going to keep on fighting about that, I’m going to keep on talking about it…everywhere I go to make Alabama a healthier state, because we are certainly not one of the healthiest states now.”

Jones expressed his hope that the court will uphold the law, just as the United States Supreme Court has already done twice.

Jones has not been complacent in pushing for better healthcare access – the senator has a bill pending that would allow the 14 states that have not yet expanded Medicaid to do so and receive the same benefits as those that took advantage of the program when it was introduced, as well as bills aimed at eliminating surprise bills, lowering the cost of prescription drugs and addressing the maternal mortality rate disproportionately impacting women of color.