Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

20 States Think They May Have Just Figured Out How to Kill Obamacare Once and For All

20 States Think They May Have Just Figured Out How to Kill Obamacare Once and For All
WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 9: Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton speaks to reporters at a news conference outside the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill on June 9, 2016 in Washington, D.C. Paxton announced a lawsuit against the state of Delaware over unclaimed checks. (Photo by Gabriella Demczuk/Getty Images)

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, President Donald Trump's recent tax reform law, contains a provision eliminating the individual mandate in 2019, a cornerstone of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.


Now, twenty states, including Texas, Wisconsin, Florida, Indiana, and West Virginia, filed lawsuits on Monday claiming that ending the individual mandate means Obamacare is unconstitutional, and thus the law should be done away with. "Following the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the country is left with an individual mandate to buy health insurance that lacks any constitutional basis," the lawsuit states.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton is leading the charge against Obamacare and released a statement following the lawsuit's filing.

"Texans have known all along that Obamacare is unlawful, and a divided Supreme Court’s approval rested solely on the flimsy support of Congress’s authority to tax. Congress has now kicked that flimsy support from beneath the law," Paxton said in his statement. "The U.S. Supreme Court already admitted that an individual mandate without a tax penalty is unconstitutional. With no remaining legitimate basis for the law, it is time that Americans are finally free from the stranglehold of Obamacare, once and for all."

The individual mandate requires people who choose not to purchase health insurance to pay a tax penalty.

The Supreme Court ruled in its 2012 National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius decision that Obamacare was constitutional because it falls under Congress's power to tax.

Scrapping the ACA has been the goal of Republicans since its passage in 2010 and was one of then-candidate Donald Trump's primary campaign promises in 2016. He has yet to put forth an alternative.

Up to 20 million Americans have obtained health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Of those 20 million, 14.5 million have gained coverage thanks to state expansions of Medicare, Medicaid, and other government subsidy programs. Because of Trump's tax law, however, 5 million people could lose their coverage in 2019.

And that's just the beginning. Should Obamacare be eliminated entirely, health premiums will skyrocket and estimated 32 million people could be left without essential health services.

Under the ACA, people with pre-existing conditions cannot be denied coverage, preventative health services such as checkups are covered, and there are no lifetime caps on costs of care. Obamacare also expands mental health services, which is a factor in our country's ongoing debate over gun control.

More from News

Tim Burchett
Al Drago/Getty Images

MAGA Rep. Ripped For Changing Story About Why He Sleeps In His DC Office To Fit Trump Agenda

Tennessee Republican Representative Tim Burchett was criticized for claiming that he "lives" in his office because of crime in Washington, D.C., even though he gave a completely different reason earlier this year to explain how he maintains productivity.

Burchett's remarks came as President Donald Trump federalized the Metropolitan Police and deployed about 800 National Guard troops to the nation’s capital this week while claiming crime in D.C. is "out of control" despite falling crime rates.

Keep ReadingShow less
A man smiling at a woman looking down.
woman reading book
Photo by Hello Revival on Unsplash

Women Break Down The Biggest Mistakes Single Men Make When Flirting

It isn't always easy for a single woman to enjoy a night out on her own.

Be it at a bar, in a store, or merely sitting on a park bench, they frequently catch the attention of a single man.

Keep ReadingShow less

Women Reveal The Dumbest Thing They've Witnessed A Man Believe About Women

Men... LISTEN UP!

This is going to be an important life lesson for y'all.

Keep ReadingShow less

People Share The Most Bada** Thing Their Dad Has Ever Done

I grew up without a dad.

I often get a sense of FOMO when I hear dad stories.

Keep ReadingShow less
Actor Kevin Sorbo visits Hallmark's "Home & Family" at Universal Studios Hollywood.
Paul Archuleta/Getty Images

Sorbo gripes about Vikings cheerleaders

American actor and sudden cheerleading morality police Kevin Sorbo appeared to spontaneously combust online when the Minnesota Vikings announced the addition of two male cheerleaders to their 2025 squad.

Born in Mound, Minnesota, Sorbo has long cultivated his brand of brawny, bicep-flexing alpha male heroics—playing Hercules in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Captain Dylan Hunt in Andromeda, and starring in the 2008 parody Meet the Spartans, where he famously shared an on-screen kiss with Sean Maguire’s King Leonidas.

Keep ReadingShow less