Summaries of Must-Read Clinical Literature, Guidelines, and FDA Actions
Trump administration rejects ACA lawsuit
Texas v. The United States centers on the individual mandate
Key clinical point: The U.S. Department of Justice on June 7 signaled that it would not defend the ACA in court in a lawsuit brought by 20 states.
Major finding: Attorney General Jeff Sessions noted that the plaintiffs were correct in determining that the ACA's individual mandate is unconstitutional based on recent law.
Study details: Texas and 19 other states filed suit in February 2018 to have the Affordable Care Act's individual mandate declared unconstitutional. Their rationale was that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 eliminated the penalty for not carrying health insurance, effective Jan. 1, 2019. Further, the plaintiffs argued that because the individual mandate is integral to the ACA as a whole, the law should be invalidated in toto.
Citation: Texas et al. v. The U.S.