(UNI) A federal judge in Texas struck down the entire ‘Affordable Care Act’ on the grounds that its mandate requiring people to buy health insurance is unconstitutional and the rest of the law cannot stand without it, raising concerns that 20 millions of US citizens might be stripped of insurance coverage as a result.
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, New York times said in a report.
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.
The reform must be axed as the congress canceled its key provision the tax penalty for not complying with the requirement to buy insurance, Russian news agency sputnik quoted a ruling by US District Judge Reed O’Connor as saying on Friday.