Collins under fire as appeals court strikes down ACA mandate
Late Wednesday, the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals issued a ruling declaring the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate unconstitutional, referring the law back to a lower court where observers say it will likely be struck down.
Healthcare advocates have warned that such a ruling could jeopardize health care for an estimated 83,000 Mainers and tens of millions of people across the country.
The lawsuit can be traced back to the 2017 GOP tax overhaul that included repealing the individual mandate. Spearheaded by state attorney generals from Texas and other Republican-controlled states, the lawsuit argues that the ACA is unconstitutional because, without the individual mandate, the law no longer operates under Congress’ authority to impose a tax. While the Appeals Court ruling struck down the individual mandate, the three-judge panel sent the question of whether the ACA as a whole is unconstitutional back to District Court Judge Reed O’Connor, who has already ruled against the federal health care law.
As the grassroots activist organization Suit Up Maine noted in its reaction, the ruling was handed down the same day that Sen. Susan Collins announced that she was seeking re-election.
Read more: https://mainebeacon.com/collins-under-fire-as-appeals-court-strikes-down-aca-mandate/
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