Twenty attorneys general around the country — including Mark Brnovich here in Arizona — sued the government over the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. Last week the Trump administration announced that its refusing to defend key parts, including the law’s protection for people with preexisting conditions, which they say is unconstitutional.
In a brief filed last week, the argument hinges on the ACA’s individual mandate — the part of the law that required people to get healthcare or face a penalty.
That individual mandate has long drawn the ire of conservatives, but it was crucial in getting insurance companies to offer plans through the ACA. And Republicans did, in fact, repeal that penalty for people who don’t get health insurance starting in 2019.
Now, Trump’s justice department is arguing that, without that mandate, the entirety of the ACA is unconstitutional. Julie Rovner, Chief Washington correspondent for Kaiser Health News, talked to The Show about this case and what it could mean for millions of Americans with preexisting conditions.