When the tax bill was signed into law, before the end of last year, one of the things that it contained was the repeal of the individual mandate. But, the mandate still remains in effect as of this year. Now comes the other prong of attack, a federal judge ruled that not only is the individual mandate unconstitutional, but so is the rest of the law.
From thehill.com:
U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor ruled that the law’s individual mandate is unconstitutional, and that because the mandate cannot be separated from the rest of the law, the rest of the law is also invalid.
The law is still in effect, and appeals are pending. Whichever side you’re on, prepare for a “battle”.
the New York Times provides a more detailed account, but with some biases injected:
The ruling was over a lawsuit filed this year by a group of Republican governors and state attorneys general. A group of intervening states led by Democrats promised to appeal the decision, which will most likely not have any immediate effect. But it will almost certainly make its way to the Supreme Court, threatening the survival of the landmark health law and, with it, health coverage for millions of Americans, protections for people with pre-existing conditions and much more.
If you read the New York Times article, they mentioned which president appointed the judge that made this decision, and mention who would negatively be impacted by this decision:
“Today’s ruling is an assault on 133 million Americans with pre-existing conditions, on the 20 million Americans who rely on the A.C.A.’s consumer protections for health care, on America’s faithful progress toward affordable health care for all Americans.” – Xavier Becerra, California’s Attorney General
You can read more at The Hill and an New York Times. The Hill has a PDF copy of the ruling.