Questions and answers on federal judge’s ruling that would erase Obamacare.
A federal judge’s ruling would, if upheld, wipe away the entire Affordable Care Act, the health care overhaul championed by President Barack Obama and twice sustained by the Supreme Court.
Judge Reed O’Connor’s opinion was issued late Friday and supporters of the law vowed to appeal and take other steps to preserve health benefits in the law sometimes called Obamacare.
Some questions and answers about O’Connor’s ruling:
WHAT IS THE IMMEDIATE EFFECT OF THE RULING FOR AMERICANS COVERED UNDER THE ACA?
In a word, nothing. Although O’Connor said the entire law must fall, he did not grant a request from its opponents to have his ruling take effect immediately. That means that all the law’s provisions remain in effect. The federal Health and Human Services Department put out a statement making clear that it “will continue administering and enforcing all aspects of the ACA as it had before the court issued its decision.”
HOW WOULD THE AVERAGE PERSON’S HEALTH CARE BE AFFECTED IF THE RULING IS UPHELD?
The impact would go well beyond the more than 20 million people who are directly covered through the Obama health law.
More than 170 million Americans are covered by employers and they could lose no-cost preventive care, from screening tests like colonoscopies to birth control for women. Employers would no longer be required to keep young adult children of their workers covered up to age 26. Gone would be limits on annual out-of-pocket expenses, which provide greater financial protection for people with job-based coverage. Another kind of limit — lifetime caps on what insurance will pay for medical bills — could stage a comeback.
