The Courts May Have Just Checked Trump’s Ability To Sabotage Obamacare
In a ruling that states can sue the administration if insurer subsidies are cut off, the courts may have taken away a powerful negotiating tool President Donald Trump has been using during the health care debates. “We’re not going to wait to find out what Donald Trump wants to do,” says California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, who is helping steer the states’ involvement. “My team is ready to defend these subsidies in court.”
The Associated Press:
Court Complicates Trump’s Threat To Cut ‘Obamacare’ Funds
President Donald Trump’s bold threat to push “Obamacare” into collapse may get harder to carry out after a new court ruling. The procedural decision late Tuesday by a federal appeals panel in Washington has implications for millions of consumers. The judges said that a group of states can defend the legality of government “cost-sharing” subsidies for copays and deductibles under the Affordable Care Act if the Trump administration decides to stop paying the money. (Alonso-Zaldivar, 8/2)
Sacramento Bee:
California, 16 Other States Say They’ll Defend Obamacare Subsidies
Now that California, 16 other states and the District of Columbia have been given legal standing in a critical court appeal, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said Wednesday they will fight to preserve the federal funds that underpin their Obamacare health exchanges if the Trump administration bows out of the lawsuit. ...In this legal case, Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives filed suit in 2014 against then-Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell, asserting that she had overstepped her authority by appropriating billions of dollars to cover discounts that insurers were mandated to give low-income consumers under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare. (Anderson, 8/2)
Los Angeles Times:
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra Accuses Trump Of 'Sabotage' And 'Extortion' On Obamacare Subsidies
California Atty. Gen. Xavier Becerra, newly empowered to defend Affordable Care Act subsidies in court, accused President Trump on Wednesday of "extortionist tactics" by threatening to undermine the healthcare law. ...Becerra said uncertainty over the future of those subsidies had led to a 12.5% jump in projected premiums next year for plans on the Covered California insurance exchange. (Mason, 8/2)