A number of Republicans have said that they expect the decision to be overturned—a surprising position given the enthusiasm with which the party pursued the law's demise. (Photo: Shutterstock)
Now that they've got it, they don't want it—and Democratic attorneys general are only too happy to try to make it go away.
“They” are Republicans, of course, who have tried ad nauseam to overturn the Affordable Care Act. But now that a Republican judge in Texas has ruled the ACA unconstitutional, The Hill reports that Republicans are trying to distance themselves from the decision that could cost millions their health care and price meaningful coverage beyond the reach of those who have pre-existing conditions—or do away with it altogether.
Meanwhile, The Hill also reports that 17 Democratic attorneys general have begun the process of appealing the decision, with an expedited motion to get the judge to order that the ACA must be enforced while the case is appealed, or else issue a stay on the impacts of his ruling.
Among Republicans, few are speaking out in support of the decision—or, indeed, speaking out at all—except, of course, for Trump, who praised the decision and touted the potential for a replacement that would be better (an unlikely scenario given the current activity level of Congress). In fact, a number of Republicans have said that they expect the decision to be overturned—a surprising position given the enthusiasm with which the party pursued the law's demise.
That was prior to the midterm elections, when one issue on which Republicans were hammered was the possibility for people with pre-existing conditions to lose their health coverage should the ACA be overturned.
But Democrats aren't standing still; they've already plunged into action with their appeal.
Xavier Becerra, California's attorney general, is quoted in the report saying, “The district court's ruling poses a dangerous threat to the healthcare of millions of Americans. We're asking the court to make clear that the ACA is still the law and ensure that all Americans can continue to access affordable health care under it.”
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Marlene Satter
Marlene Y. Satter has worked in and written about the financial industry for decades.
