WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a politically explosive case on whether Obamacare is lawful, taking up a bid by 20 Democratic-led states including California and New York to preserve the landmark healthcare law.
FILE PHOTO: A sign on an insurance store advertises Obamacare in San Ysidro, San Diego, California, U.S., October 26, 2017. REUTERS/Mike Blake
The impetus for the Supreme Court case was a 2018 ruling by a federal judge in Texas that Obamacare as currently structured in light of a key Republican-backed change made by Congress violates the U.S. Constitution and is invalid in its entirety. The ruling came in a legal challenge to the law by Texas and 17 other conservative states backed by President Donald Trump’s administration.
The Supreme Court’s decision to intervene means the fate of the law formally called the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the signature domestic policy achievement of former Democratic President Barack Obama, will be up in the air during the ongoing presidential race.
The court is expected to hear arguments and decide the case in its next term, which starts in October and ends in June 2021, meaning a ruling is not likely before the Nov. 3 election in which Trump is seeking a second term in office.
“As Texas and the Trump administration fight to disrupt our healthcare system and the coverage that millions rely upon, we look forward to making our case in defense of the A