Majority says the plaintiffs lacked standing to challenge ACA.
The United States Supreme Court has upheld what has become known as Obamacare and dismissed potential challenges. The 7-2 decision by the Court kept the Affordable Care Act alive after a lawsuit was brought forward by Texas and 17 other states – including Mississippi – along with two individuals.
The Court ruled that the petition lacked standing to challenge the constitutionality of the program.
Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch, however, was not deterred from her position in challenging Obamacare despite today’s decision.
“Obamacare was hastily thrown together by a Democrat monopoly in Washington, D.C. as an answer to a political agenda rather than pursuit of sound law and governance,” AG Fitch told Y’all Politics. “I will continue to fight for Mississippians who want to see real healthcare reform in its place.”
According to the filing, the states argued that the law’s individual mandate was unconstitutional once it no longer carried a penalty because it had been justified as falling under the congressional power of taxation. They also claimed that the rest of the law could not survive without the mandate, according to Fox News.
The Court ruled that since the plaintiffs had not demonstrated any past or future harm, they were not in a position to bring the claim.
Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney said the ruling by the Supreme court would impact roughly 100,000 Mississippians who would continue to have healthcare insurance through the Affordable Care Act.
Chairman of the Mississippi Democratic Party, Tyree Irving, said this is another failed attempt by Republican’s war on healthcare.
“Once again, the United States Supreme Court has rejected a challenge from Republicans to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. While Republicans have spent the better part of the last decade trying to roll back, weaken, and eliminate the historic law, Democrats believe that health care is a right – not a privilege – and that every single American should have access to quality, affordable care,” said Irving.
Irving said he hopes that this ruling will push Republicans to cease what he called “political games” and get behind Obamacare. He said the Affordable Care Act has proven that it is constitutional and beneficial to Americans.
“We do not reach these questions of the Act’s validity, however, for Texas and the other plaintiffs in this suit lack the standing necessary to raise them,” Justice Stephen Breyer wrote in the court’s opinion.
Breyer was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett in the majority ruling.
Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented, with Alito writing that the Court was ducking the constitutional issues related to the matter.
Sarah Ulmer
