"Far-Ranging" Impact of Supreme Court Decisions Boost Economic Justice: National Urban League
NEW YORK (June 25, 2015) -- Today’s landmark Supreme Court rulings on the crucial issues of health care access and housing discrimination will have a far-ranging impact on economic justice in the United States, National Urban League President and CEO Marc H. Morial said.
“Access to affordable, quality health care and housing are key to the economic stability of working families,” Morial said. “For the millions who are able to receive health care because of the subsidies the court has protected, health insurance not only represents protection for their health, but protection from the possibility of financial ruin in case of a health crisis.
“Further, the court’s ruling that racial discrimination in housing need not be intentional to be illegal breaks down barriers to homeownership – the most significant factor in building wealth and financial security,” Morial said.
People of color have especially benefited from the Affordable Care Act, and the subsidies it provides, because they disproportionately work in jobs where affordable health insurance is not offered.
Health insurance not only increases the likelihood of timely, high-quality care; it protects families from bankruptcy should a loved one become sick and require health care. Further, it increases productivity; and decreases risk for premature death.
“We sincerely hope that the court’s ruling settles the matter of the ACA and that further attempts to dismantle it are discouraged,” Morial said.
Further, the housing discrimination ruling represents more than access to decent, affordable housing, he said.
"The American middle class is built on homeownership," he said. “Entrepreneurs have built their businesses with the equity in their homes. Parents have sent their children to college with the equity in their homes.”
The National Urban League is a historic civil rights organization dedicated to economic empowerment in order to elevate the standard of living in historically underserved urban communities. Founded in 1910 and headquartered in New York City, the National Urban League spearheads the efforts of its local affiliates through the development of programs, public policy research and advocacy. Today, the National Urban League has 95 affiliates serving 300 communities, in 35 states and the District of Columbia, providing direct services that impact and improve the lives of more than 2 million people nationwide.
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CONTACT: Teresa Candori
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tcandori@nul.org
