The Supreme Court Will Likely Keep Most of the Affordable Care Act Intact
Comments from two Associate Supreme Court Justices given Tuesday indicate that they are planning to keep most of the Affordable Care Act intact, despite President Trump’s efforts to dismantle it.
President Trump’s administration and Republican state officials have recently been under fire for bringing Obamacare back to the Supreme Court for the third time after previous attempts to tear apart ACA failed due to majority vote. Two of the court’s conservative justices, Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh have alluded that they plan to vote in favor of keeping the law mostly intact.
Breaking News: The bulk of the Affordable Care Act seems likely to survive its latest encounter with the Supreme Court after key justices signaled their support. https://t.co/TSqilMZ64Z
— The New York Times (@nytimes) November 10, 2020
The Trump administration and Republican state officials aim to get rid of the individual mandate, which requires U.S. individuals and companies to ensure that their employees have health insurance. Essentially, the individual mandate aims to make sure that more Americans participate in health insurance and make it more affordable for everyone. Earlier today, President-elect Joe Biden stated that he wants to protect affordable health care for all.
Beginning on January 20th, Vice President-elect Harris and I are going to do everything in our power to ease the burden of health care on you and your families.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) November 10, 2020
When ACA was previously debated in the Supreme Court, Congress yielded that the individual mandate was harmless as there is a penalty in place for failing to obtain health insurance.
The individual mandate allows for fewer individuals to pay that fee, as health care is accessible to more Americans.
All Americans deserve to have access to quality, affordable health care. Tune in now to hear Joe Biden’s plan to protect and expand the Affordable Care Act in a Biden-Harris administration. https://t.co/I8b8ecZD5m
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) November 10, 2020
According to the New York Times, Justice Kavanaugh recently voiced his thoughts on the act and said, “It does seem fairly clear that the proper remedy would be to sever the mandate provision and leave the rest of the act in place — the provisions regarding pre-existing conditions and the rest.” Chief Justice Roberts seemed to agree with this idea. We will be waiting anxiously to hear about what changes are made to the Affordable Care Act.
