Democrats in the House voted today to intervene in the Republican lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act, keeping their campaign promise to protect people with pre-existing conditions and fight against Republican health care sabotage. Meanwhile, Democrats across the country are focusing on health care by expanding Medicaid and finding meaningful solutions to skyrocketing prescription drug costs, the exact problems Americans elected them to solve.

House Democrats continue to defend the Affordable Care Act, and voted again on Wednesday to intervene in the Republican lawsuit against the law.

CNN: “As part of its rules package for the 116th Congress, the Democrats granted themselves authorization to intervene in the lawsuit that threatens to bring down the landmark health care law. It directed the House’s Office of General Counsel to represent lawmakers in any litigation involving the act and authorizes hiring of outside counsel.”

Politico: “The House will vote today to formally intervene in the lawsuit from GOP states seeking to eliminate Obamacare. A provision authorizing the House counsel to join the case and defend the law already passed as part of a sweeping package of rules last week. But Democrats are holding another standalone vote to pressure their Republican colleagues — especially those who campaigned in 2018 on defending the law’s popular consumer protections such as Medicaid expansion and preexisting conditions.”

In December, Senate Democrats also tried to stop the Republican lawsuit but were thwarted by Senate Republicans.

The Hill: “Senate Republicans on Wednesday blocked a vote on a resolution that would have allowed the Senate to intervene in a federal lawsuit against ObamaCare. Democrats asked for unanimous consent to authorize the Senate legal counsel to defend ObamaCare in court after a district judge in Texas declared the entire law unconstitutional last week.”

Meanwhile, Democratic governors across the country continue to work to expand Medicaid and lower the cost of prescription drugs.

Wisconsin State Journal: “On his first full day in office, Gov. Tony Evers issued two executive orders on health care, with one directing a state agency to craft a plan to meet Evers’ campaign pledge to expand Medicaid, the public health insurance program for the poor and disabled.”

CNN: “Newly sworn in Gov. Janet Mills, a Democrat who campaigned on broadening access to health insurance, used her first executive order to direct the Maine Department of Health and Human Services to begin implementation of Medicaid expansion.”

Reuters: “In his executive order, Newsom directed state officials to set up what he said would ultimately be the nation’s largest single-purchaser system for prescription drugs. It directed California’s massive Medicaid system to negotiate prescription drug prices for all of its 13 million recipients, changing their benefits from a managed-care or HMO approach to one that allows the state to handle all the purchases.”