The Supreme Court announced Monday morning that justices will hear a challenge to Obamacare, backed by a handful of red states, come the court’s new term in October. This means that the landmark health care law will stay in place, and will be on the ballot again in November. Democrats were hoping for a ruling before the general election, in order to push the narrative that the GOP used the court to take away health care.
It’s official: the Supreme Court is going to hear an Obamacare case ... again.
— Shannon Bream (@ShannonBream) March 2, 2020
The high court’s decision to take up this legal challenge comes after an appeals court ruled that Obamacare’s individual mandate, but not the law in its entirety, is unconstitutional. House Democrats then asked the Supreme Court in January to get involved, and expedite this case. Given the size and stature of Obamacare-related cases, with multiple factors at play, the Supreme Court declined to rush through the legal challenge to Obamacare.
Although this is a win for Republicans ahead of a general election, Democrats can instill fear in voters over the court’s ability to strike down Obamacare. This court battle also makes the Democratic presidential contenders’ various stances on health care even more interesting. Former Vice President Joe Biden would be forced to defend his administration’s controversial health care law, while Sens. Bernie Sanders (D-VT) and Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) would have to defend implementing laws that reach even further than the Affordable Care Act. Health care is a center stage issue in the Democratic primary, and the eventual nominee will surely have to address the future of Obamacare in general election debates with President Trump.
President Trump and his re-election campaign will have more time to release a substantial replacement for Obamacare, until the court actually strikes down the law, which would be after November’s general election.
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