Supreme Court Will Make 'Being a Woman' a Pre-Existing Condition, Nancy Pelosi Says

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that whoever President Donald Trump nominated for the Supreme Court is only there for one reason: to abolish the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Pelosi responded Sunday morning to Trump's nomination of Judge Amy Coney Barrett by dismissing the process altogether as a ruse to dismantle health care protections for the 23 million people covered by the ACA. The House Speaker said the president and Senate Republicans are aggressively trying to stack the Supreme Court with another conservative ahead of November 10 oral arguments over the ACA, also known as "Obamacare." On that day, the justices will hear two consolidated cases that challenge the law's individual mandate as unconstitutional.

Pelosi warned Americans that should Trump and Republicans rush Barrett onto the court, seniors will be forced to leave nursing homes; college-age children will be kicked off health insurance plans; and women will be forced to return to a time when simply "being a woman" made it obscenely difficult to receive adequate health services.

"What I am concerned about is anyone that President Trump would have appointed was there to undo the Affordable Care Act. That is why he was in such a hurry, so he could have someone in place for the oral arguments, which begin November 10. It doesn't matter what the process is here [in Washington], what matters is what it means personally to the American people," Pelosi told CNN's Jake Tapper Sunday.

"If you have a pre-existing medical condition, that benefit will be gone. If you are a woman, we will be back to a time when being a woman is a pre-existing medical condition, if your adult children are on your policy, say goodbye, no longer will they be—and that in a time of a pandemic," Pelosi said.

The Supreme Court's official schedule shows consolidated oral arguments are set to be heard by the justices on November 10, one week after the presidential election. The two cases, California v. Texas and Texas v. California, challenge the ACA's minimum essential coverage provision—also known as the individual mandate—which requires Americans to maintain at least a minimal level of health insurance coverage at the risk of having to otherwise pay a penalty.

California v. Texas is part of a wider challenge to the existence of the ACA by 20 states, led by Texas. There are also 17 states, including New York, Illinois and California, which are defending the health care law.

Pelosi remarked Sunday that Barrett taking a seat on the court prior to the November 10 arguments could finally tip the court to begin stripping the ACA—or potentially to abolish it altogether.

"If you have seniors in your family who are having long-term medical care paid for by Medicaid, they are going to pretty soon be moving back home and living with you. That may be a wonderful experience, but you should have a choice and that isn't what this is about," the House Speaker said.

Former Vice President Joe Biden issued a statement Sunday echoing Pelosi's remarks about the Trump administration and the Senate GOP attack on the Affordable Care Act:

"President Trump has been trying to throw out the Affordable Care Act for four years. Republicans have been trying to end it for a decade. Twice, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the law as constitutional. But even now, in the midst of a global health pandemic, the Trump Administration is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the entire law, including its protections for people with pre-existing conditions."

Pelosi reiterated when State of the Union host Tapper asked if Barrett's record doesn't clearly show she's at least qualified to serve on the Supreme Court: "Whoever [Trump] appointed was put there to overturn the Affordable Care Act."

A New York Times/Siena College poll conducted last week found a majority of Americans—57 percent—support the continued existence of the Affordable Care Act, which covers just over 23 million people. About 8.5 million people signed up for the ACA health insurance in 2019.

Pelosi concluded Sunday's discussion by noting: "The antidote to whatever [Trump] does is to vote, vote, vote" on November 3.

Newsweek reached out to the White House and Pelosi's offices in Washington for additional remarks Sunday.