Obama, Dems vow rapid action over Obamacare ruling
Former US President Barack Obama along with Democratic lawmakers have condemned a federal judge's ruling that could undo Obamacare, with top Democrats promising to take rapid action against the ruling.
On Friday, US District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, ruled that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional based on its mandate requiring that people buy health insurance.
He made the ruling following a lawsuit filed by 20 states opposed to the federal government health plan. The judge agreed with the states that a change in tax law last year that eliminated a penalty for not having health insurance invalidated the entire Obamacare law.
The decision provoked furious backlashes from Democratic Obama and lawmakers as well as medical professionals.
Representative Nancy Pelosi, who may become Speaker in the new Congress, described the ruling as “absurd,” saying that Democrats in the House will “swiftly intervene in the appeals process” once they take control in January.
Senator Chuck Schumer, the top Democrat in the Senate, slammed Republicans for “pretending to support people with pre-existing conditions while quietly trying to remove that support in the courts.”
The GOP spent all last year pretending to support people with pre-existing conditions while quietly trying to remove that support in the courts.
— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) December 15, 2018
Next year, we will force votes to expose their lies. They will no longer be able to get away with lying to the American people.
Obama himself took to Twitter, issuing a statement to comfort those Americans who might be frightened that they could lose their health insurance.
Today is the last day of open enrollment. That means it’s the deadline to make sure you and the people you love have health insurance in 2019. So head over to https://t.co/ob1Ynoesod to get covered! Here’s what else you need to know today about health care: pic.twitter.com/gosn6c6uCa
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 15, 2018
Arthur Evans, chief executive officer of the American Psychological Association, expressed concern about the consequences of the ruling for “the millions of Americans” who get covered through the health law.
President Donald Trump, who has been a fierce critic of Obamacare since he launched his presidential campaign, hailed the court decision.
"It's a great ruling for our country. We will be able to get great healthcare. We will sit down with the Democrats if the Supreme Court upholds," Trump told reporters during a visit to Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia on Saturday.
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