FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
12/18/2019
The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals announced their decision today on the Texas v United States case seeking to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
The ruling finds the Individual Mandate unconstitutional, but placed further decisions on the severability of the mandate from the rest of the Affordable Care Act back into the hands of Texas District Court Judge Reed O'Connor. This ensures that the law's lifesaving protections will remain in legal jeopardy for some time, while Americans continue to worry about the status of their health care.
What this means for Utah:
- This has no immediate effect on coverage or any other pieces of the ACA.
- Consumer protections like pre-existing condition coverage remain intact, and there are no changes to the Marketplace.
- This has no impact on Medicaid expansion. Utah should still proceed toward full expansion as soon as possible.
Although there is no immediate harm, this is yet another dangerous step toward eradication of a massive piece of the United States health care system. The Trump administration - backed by Utah's Attorney General, Sean Reyes - has been determined to dismantle the Affordable Care Act through the courts after failing repeatedly in Congress, and Texas v US could end up with very dangerous consequences in the end.
