Texas Tribune by Emma Platoff Sept. 5, 2018
On one side of West 10th Street, lawyers in blazers and wingtip shoes argued over the legality of Obamacare in a high-ceilinged, wood-paneled courtroom. Meanwhile, across the street in Burnett Park, dozens of protesters made the case for the law in their own way, wielding signs like “Healthcare for all†and “Why oh why are you killing me?â€
Both groups had assembled Wednesday morning to mark a critical hearing in a Texas-led challenge to the Affordable Care Act, a sweeping lawsuit that aims to do what dozens of Congressional attempts could not: entirely repeal perhaps the greatest legislative success of former President Barack Obama. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, leading a coalition of 20 states, sued in February to end the law, arguing that after Congress gutted one of its key provisions, the entire statute must fall. California, leading a counter-coalition of 16 states and Washington D.C., argues that the entire law remains constitutional and should remain in place.
At the hearing Wednesday, Texas aimed to convince U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor to block the law across the country as it continues to fight a months- or years-long legal case that could land before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Citing rising health care premiums, Texas says such an injunction is necessary to preserve state sovereignty and to relieve the burden on residents forced to purchase expensive insurance coverage. California counters that temporarily blocking or ending the law would cause more harm to the millions of people insured under it, particularly the 133 million people the state says enjoy the law’s protections for pre-existing conditions. The U.S. Department of Justice, which has taken up many of Texas’ positions in the case, nonetheless sided with California, arguing that an immediate injunction would throw the health care system into chaos.
More:
https://www.texastribune.org/2018/09/05/obamacare-texas-block-california-fort-worth-affordable-care-act/
