Before the year is over, a trio of 5th Circuit Court judges is expected to make a decision to either strike down the Affordable Care Act as unconstitutional or uphold it as the continued health care law of the land. The ruling might face continued legal challenges and end up in the hands of the Supreme Court, but it's not a given. One thing is for sure: the invalidation of the ACA, which brought insurance coverage to more than 20 million individuals, would create chaos in the health care market. As such, the Trump administration has said it will stay a ruling to overturn it and leave the law in place until a new solution is hammered out. Related: More than half of American families could feel the impact if the ACA is overturned "Eliminating the ACA would be a major step backward for the millions of people who gained affordable health care coverage this decade," John Holahan, Institute Fellow at the Urban Institute, said earlier this year. "Without access to the ACA's health and financial benefits, more low- and middle-income people would face higher financial burdens and less access to necessary medical care." Some states will feel the impact more than others, and many have already begun taking precautions that will lessen the blow and uphold many of the ACA's protections. Some actions have been taken in response to the weakening of the ACA's tenets under the current administration, including the introduction of individual mandates at the state level. But other states are simply preparing contingency plans. Louisian's Healthcare Coverage for Louisiana Protection Act only goes into effect if the ACA is repealed, for example. "States should certainly be thinking about contingency plans," Nicholas Bagley, a professor at the University of Michigan law school told the Wall Street Journal. "Coming up with reasonable contingency plans will take time." What are states doing to prepare? Take a look through the slideshow above. Read more: |

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