UNCERTAIN FUTURE

U.S. Supreme Court Declines to Fast-Track Obamacare Appeal

Democrats filed an appeal to a ruling last month that said Obamacare’s central feature was unconstitutional.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday declined to fast-track an appeal to a court ruling last month that said Obamacare’s central feature was unconstitutional and that the rest of the law could not survive without it. The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives and 20 Democratic-led states asked the Supreme Court earlier this month to quickly decide whether they would take the case. The move makes it unlikely that the court will decide on whether the healthcare law will survive during its current term that ends in June. The court’s decision means that the fate of Obamacare will remain uncertain until at least after the Nov. 3 presidential election. The Affordable Care Act has helped millions of Americans obtain medical insurance and will remain in effect during the litigation. 

Texas and 17 other red states challenged the law, arguing that the “individual mandate,” which requires most individuals to pay health insurance or pay a penalty, violates the constitution. The Democratic states defending the law said the appeals court ruling last month “threatens adverse consequences for our nation’s health care system, including for patients, doctors, insurers, and state and local governments.”