Federal Judge Strikes Down Affordable Care Act. What Happens Now?

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Photo credts: www.cnn.com

Jasmeen Rivera, Reporter

A Federal judge in Texas attacked the Affordable Care Act (ACA) Friday in a ruling, stating that the individual coverage mandate is considered an “unconstitutional” infringement against the rest of the written law. The Affordable Care Act, or ObamaCare, helps make it possible for all citizens to acquire healthcare and expands Medcaid to houses of lower income. The act was signed into law when former President, Barack Obama, was still in office. In 2012, the Supreme Court endorsed the decree based upon Congress’ ability to tax those without health insurance; however, since then, the taxation penalty for not owning insurance has dropped to zero. Because of this, many are making it the ultimate goal for the act to be annulled. Though Republicans have been unsuccessful in trying to repeal the ACA for years, many wonder what this means for the future health care of millions who utilize and benefit from the statute.

Trump applauded the affair via Twitter, saying that ObamaCare was “not surprisingly” thwarted by a “highly respected judge” and that he considers the ruling as “great news for America.” The current POTUS has been taking action against the ACA since his running in 2016, saying that ObamaCare would be the first thing to go if elected. Trump states that if the decision gets upheld by the Supreme Court the plan would be to “repeal and replace” the current law. Obama took to Facebook later the next day, saying that “[the ruling] can be a scary thing to hear, particularly if you or someone you care about has a pre-existing condition.” The former President also wanted to urge those to get involved in the program and that, as of the moment, the law still stands firmly until final decisions are made.

Experts say that if the ruling has any affect on the availability of health care for Americans, that it wouldn’t be modified right away. Decisions and verdicts are still being made at the moment. Many are saying that health care will be the top issue in the year 2020.