The American Nurses Association and five other health care groups representing millions of health care professionals have filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act's minimum coverage requirement for most U.S. citizens.

In a news release, the ANA says it chose to file the brief because RNs are frontline witnesses to the harmful health effects on individuals who are uninsured and defer needed care.

"I saw it every day in the emergency department, and the situation hasn't changed. Uninsured people who don't have access to care show up with a health crisis that could have been caught earlier or prevented altogether," ANA President Karen Daley said.