SCOTUS to hear ACA arguments--after the election
Arguments will be heard November 10, though a final ruling isn't expected until next year.
Last week, the Supreme Court announced it would hear arguments in the legal challenge against the Affordable Care Act on November 10. The verdict will likely not be rendered until spring 2021.
Defendants had hoped to fast-track the case, Texas v. United States, earlier this year, a move that the Supreme Court declined. The law’s uncertain future has created a troublesome political environment. Overturning the law would be a win for Republicans but could put them in hot water with voters who lose health insurance or key health care protections as a result.
Related: Supreme Court’s fresh views on ‘severability’ could boost Obamacare defenders
Meanwhile, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden has made the challenge against the ACA a key campaign issue, contrasting his stance with President Trump’s.
“The assault on the Affordable Care Act will continue until it is destroyed,” Biden said in a speech at the Democratic National Convention last week. He went on to warn against the negative effects on Americans’ health care access if the law is overturned and called for improving and expanding the law.
President Trump has repeatedly said that his administration would soon be putting forth an alternative health care reform proposal, but no such plan has yet to emerge. In recent weeks, Trump has floated the idea of an executive order that would protect pre-existing conditions, something already required under the ACA.
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