“The Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected Democrats’ plea to consider a high-stakes legal challenge that could kill Obamacare, punting a resolution in the politically fraught case until after the presidential election.”
“The decision deals a blow to Democrats’ hopes to elevate the issue in 2020, but it will come as a relief to President Donald Trump and Republicans, who’ve been wary of the lawsuit’s potential to scramble their election hopes…”
“The lawsuit was considered a long shot when it was introduced nearly two years ago, but it’s since emerged as a major threat to Obamacare.”
“Those challenging the law argue that Obamacare was invalidated when Congress in late 2017 removed the law’s tax penalty for not having health insurance but left the rest of the coverage requirement on the books. They contend that move rendered Obamacare unconstitutional, since the Supreme Court previously upheld the individual mandate solely as a legitimate exercise of congressional taxing power.”
“A three judge panel of the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals last month refused to decide whether any part of the law could stand after Congress zeroed out the tax penalty. They instead sent the case back to the Texas federal judge to decide what parts of the law could remain in place…” Read the full article here.
Source: Supreme Court won’t hear Obamacare case before election – By Susannah Luthi, January 21, 2020. POLITICO.
