1199 members from DC and Maryland rallied on March 27h with hundreds of their SEIU brothers and sisters at the U.S.Supreme Court to stand up for the Affordable Care Act.Justices were hearing oral arguments on whether key provisions of President Obama’s landmark healthcare reform law are legal. In particular, the legal challenge focuses on the Affordable Care Act’s mandate that individuals purchase health insurance by 2014 or face a fine.“We all need healthcare at some point in our lives,” explained Evelyn Barber, an 1199 member and radiology technician at United Medical Center in Washington, DC. “We all pay for uncompensated care. Healthcare reform will help make our system of coverage cheaper and will keep people healthier and safer. ”As the front line caregivers in America, 1199 members understand how important the Affordable Care Act is to patients and to their own families. Deborah Jeje, a clerical associate in the ER at United Medical Center, came out for the rally because, in her words, the bill “benefits children and the elderly. It helps young adults like my son, who is going to school. When he graduates, I won’t have to worry about him being dropped from my insurance before he has a chance to find a decent job and coverage of his own.”The Court is set to decide on the case by late June. Already, however, as certain provisions of the law have taken effect, 1199 members have observed the benefits the law is delivering for their patients, including closing the “Medicare donut hole” and protecting children with illnesses from denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions.- See more at: http://www.1199seiu.org/1199ers_support_healthcare_reform_at_the_u_s_supreme_court#sthash.BGjaRO99.dpuf