Posted on 03/28/2019 8:27:59 PM PDT by Revel
A federal judge has struck down a rule letting individuals and small businesses pool together to buy health insurance, threatening a program encouraged by the Trump administration that was created as an escape hatch from high Obamacare premiums.
The ruling, issued Thursday by U.S. District Judge John Bates, a President George W. Bush appointee, came after 11 states and the District of Columbia sued saying that the rules violated Obamacare and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, or ERISA.
Bates agreed, concluding in his opinion that the rule, issued by the Department of Labor, was "clearly an end-run around" Obamacare. He also stated the Trump administration didn't have the authority under ERISA to change the rules.
It was not immediately clear whether the administration's up-and-running alternatives, know as "association health plans," would still be allowed to operate. Bates in his ruling asked the Department of Labor to state whether any part of the rule could still stand.
The ruling is the latest blow this week to President Trump's healthcare agenda. A judge struck down Medicaid work rules earlier this week, and many Republicans have said they do not wish to come up with a replacement plan after the administration in a surprise move asked an appeals court to fully invalidate Obamacare.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonexaminer.com ...
Obamaharm is clearly an end run around the Constitution.
A judge strikes again...
Trump really needs to stuff the courts with reasonable judges who rule based on law, not politics.
And the senate needs to get these judges approved ASAP.
Just defy. Just do it anyway.
Uh huh. Yep.
Obamacare is going to end.
The judge struck down the freedom of people to provide their own healthcare. Incredible.
Defiance is a word not found in the vocabulary of the Trump administration. Nor in that of Senate or House so-called Republicans.
McConnell needs to get the pending judges approved! That would help.
Yes, the Village Idiot from Texas strikes again. His legacy is not good.
Is there a solution to black-robed tyranny?
Why, yes - yes there is ...
And I’ll bet not a soul will dare utter the words.
“McConnell needs to get the pending judges approved!”
No, that won’t help much. President Trump needs to put a stop to the outrageous judicial overreach that has crippled his administration. Our system of government was not designed to have the judicial branch as the be-all and end-all, superior to the other branches and the final say in all matters of law and national sovereignty.
Any judge who dares to try to overrule the executive branch on matters of immigration should be ignored and then impeached. The same thing applies to any judge who decides that they can just rewrite laws at will.
Heaven forbid us maroons choose our own health plan. This is not about health care it is about making sure big insurance companies stay profitable.
This requires Congress, to act—either side with Trump, stay silent which won’t happen, or side with the courts over Trump. Sadly, Trump loses if he tries ignoring or defying the courts.
Only if Judges Bates could have found a way to call it a tax...............
“Yes, the Village Idiot from Texas strikes again. His legacy is not good.”
So your choice was Gore or Kerry? I’m as happy as a clam that it was GWB instead of those two morons.
That is not a relevant question. GWB is and will always be the Village Idiot from Texas. Deal with it.
I’ve always said President George W. Bush’s greatest legacy was he was strongly pro-life and he was strongly for marriage being between a man and a woman.
He probably made mistakes immigration-wise and otherwise, but at least he did stand strong morally at a time when the nation really needed it (after Bill Clinton).
All the more reason to classify Oabamcare as unconstitutional, and rewrite “heath insurance reform” from scratch, (a) moving to no employer plans, no association plans, no government-employee plans, no union plans just every individual allowed to join the plan that makes the most sense to them, (c) and to do so across state lines with no interference of the states, and (d) through private market exchanges set up to operate nationally - not state by state, and (d) with insurers able to enroll anyone from any state in their plans regardless of which state or state(s) their offices are domiciled in, and (e) allowing employers to continue to support their employees health insurance needs by being able to contribute directly to paying something towards the individual’s chosen plan’s premiums. And insurers would not have federal mandates as to what must or must not be covered, but would be able to offer a whole mene of plans to meet the wishes of many different and divere persons. Because the scale and spread of the risk will be national in the plans, not state by state, and because the plan choices would be more varied, the premiums should be able to be reduced.
Obamunism: all the worst of Crony Capitalism combined with all the worst of Socialism.
This is a DISTRICT judge. Obamacare has already been rule Unconstitutional in Texas.
That makes it “Law f the Land” now doesn’t it? (Like it did for gay marriage?)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.