Supreme Court to Hear Case on Affordable Care Act

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) contains provisions protecting individuals with pre-existing conditions, which include people with intellectual / developmental disabilities. As such, ANCOR has been monitoring recent legal challenges to the law, which could in turn affect those provisions depending on the outcome of the lawsuits.

As reported by Axios:

“The Supreme Court announced this morning that it will hear a major case against the Affordable Care Act this term, meaning the health care law’s fate will be on the line in the middle of the 2020 presidential election.

Why it matters: The lawsuit — which is supported by the Trump administration — argues that the entire ACA should be struck down, including its most popular provisions, like its pre-existing conditions protections.”

Politico Pro further elaborates:

“The suit, brought by more than a dozen GOP-led states, emerged as a threat to Obamacare in December, when a panel of federal appeals court judges found the law unconstitutional. Instead of ruling on the entire law, the appellate panel sent the challenge back to a federal judge in Texas who previously invalidated the entire law, jolting Democrats who feared the move would leave Obamacare in legal limbo for years.

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Still, it’s rare that justices review a case before it’s received full consideration in lower courts — and the decision to do so underscores the monumental stakes of a case could upend coverage for millions of people and create chaos across the health care system.

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Many legal observers expect Chief Justice John Roberts will again join with the court’s liberal wing to uphold Obamacare. He wrote opinions affirming the law in the two previous major Obamacare challenges that went to the Supreme Court.”