NEW ORLEANS — A panel of federal appeals judges aggressively questioned whether Obamacare can survive during this afternoon's oral arguments in case that could upend the 2010 health care law.
Two Republican appointees on the three-judge panel frequently interrupted attorneys to question whether the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate is unconstitutional, and if not, whether the entire law could stand without it.
The panel is reviewing a December decision from a federal judge that found the removal of the ACA’s individual mandate penalty by Congress in its 2017 tax cut invalidated the entire law. The ACA’s future appears murky after two hours of oral arguments at the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals today.
The lawsuit was brought by 18 Republican-led states and is supported by the Trump administration.
The case is expected to eventually move to the Supreme Court, which could ultimately decide Obamacare’s fate next year in the height of the 2020 campaign.
Article originally published on POLITICO Magazine