I’ve got a new perspective piece in the New England Journal of Medicine discussing the Fifth Circuit’s decision in Texas v. United States.
The full consequences of the ruling are not yet clear. Instead of deciding for itself how much or how little of the ACA could stand, the appeals court asked the Texas judge who originally decided the case to take a second look at the question. In the meantime, a consortium of Democrat-led states may ask the Supreme Court to intervene. But it’s by no means assured that the Court will take up the invitation.
We’re in for a long period of uncertainty, and it’s unlikely that we’ll know the fate of the ACA before the 2020 election. At risk are the law’s protections for people with preexisting conditions, its prohibitions on abusive insurance practices, the Medicaid expansion, subsidies for private coverage, and much more. And whether the law survives this latest brush with death may depend on whether Trump secures a second term in office.
The piece is gated, unfortunately, but it’s available here.
