The Supreme Court reexamined the Affordable Care Act (ACA) this week, over the individual mandate part of the law. That’s the penalty for not buying insurance — which Congress lowered to zero in 2017. But this time, it seems like that five members of the court will support it. But as NPR’s Nina Totenberg reported, “even with three Trump appointees, the Affordable Care Act looked as though it may well survive.”
If you’re thinking…haven’t we been here before with the ACA? Well…yeah.
More from Nina Totenberg:
Yes, the Supreme Court did uphold Obamacare eight years ago. It ruled that the so-called individual mandate, requiring people either to have health insurance or pay a penalty, was constitutional because it amounted to a tax. But in 2017, Congress decided it did not need the penalty and zeroed it out. At the time, not only congressional leaders but also President Trump crowed about “terminating” the mandate.
If the court does act, over 20 million people will lose insurance, according to The Urban Institute.
We’re getting the latest from the Supreme Court.
Copyright 2021 WAMU 88.5. To see more, visit WAMU 88.5. 9(MDIwMjIxMDA0MDE0Mzk4NDIzNjA0OGQ5Yg001))