Last week, a federal Texas judge ruled that the entire Obamacare law was unconstitutional. Obamacare remains in place (at least the portion not overturned by the GOP Congress), but it will disappear if an appeals court or the Supreme Court doesn't overturn the judge's ruling.
President Obama was not happy with that ruling. He knows it would cost about 20 million Americans their health insurance, and raise premiums exorbitantly on many millions of others (particularly those with a preexisting health condition). He said:
“[Y]ou might have heard about a federal court decision on a Republican lawsuit trying to strike down the Affordable Care Act in its entirety. That can be a scary thing to hear, particularly if you or someone you care about has a pre-existing condition. And that’s why it’s so important for you to know that last night’s ruling changes nothing for now. As this decision makes its way through the courts, which will take months, if not years, the law remains in place and will likely stay that way. . . But all of this should also be a reminder that Republicans will never stop trying to undo all that. If they can’t get it done in Congress, they’ll keep trying in the courts, even when it puts people’s pre-existing conditions coverage at risk.”
Donald Trump's reaction was quite different. In a tweet (see above), he rejoiced at the judge's decision. He doesn't seem to care about hurting the health care of millions of Americans -- even though neither he nor his Republican cohorts have any plan to replace Obamacare.
But while Trump can afford to be an idiot about the decision, it should worry any other Republican holding office. Health care was a big issue in the 2018 campaign, and the GOP efforts to overturn Obamacare cost the Republicans 40 seats in the House of Representatives (and control of that body).
If this lawsuit, brought by Republican attorney generals in several states (and supported by the White House) stands, it would probably cost them millions of votes in the 2020 election.
Here's just part of what Jennifer Rubin wrote about this GOP dilemma in The Washington Post:
Republicans ran in 2018 insisting they were committed to protecting people with preexisting conditions from being priced out of the health-insurance market. However, when a district court judge last week in Texas struck down the entire Affordable Care Act, including the protection for preexisting conditions, Trump celebrated
Other Republicans, however, looked somewhere between uncomfortable and mortified by the result. None has more reason to be squeamish than Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine), who voted to strip out the individual mandate in the tax bill, providing the basis for Republican governors to sue and strike down (temporarily) Obamacare. Her performance on the talk shows was cringeworthy. . . .
On “Meet the Press,” Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) didn’t fare any better. . . .
Republicans are the proverbial dog who caught the bus. They are to blame if the law, with no alternative, is not revived by a higher court; they are to blame if either by litigation or administrative action those with preexisting conditions are priced out of the market.
We just had an election that turned on this precise issue. Democrats overwhelmingly carried the day by accusing Republicans of seeking to sabotage protection for preexisting conditions. Now that Collins, Blunt and others have made a mess, it is up to them to fix it — or face the wrath of the voters in 2020.
