Oklahoma has really been in the news lately. Today, it was for a good reason. A federal judge in Oklahoma ruled that the subsidies in ObamaCARE are illegal. Is it finally time for the ObamaCARE subsides to go to the Supreme Court? Maybe this time, John Roberts wouldn’t wimp out and do the right thing.
|
| Federal judge rules Obamacare subsidies illegal |
|---|
US District Judge Ronald White said in a 20-page opinion that the Internal Revenue Service lacked the authority to enact a regulation that allows the federal government to provide tax credits to qualified health care policyholders through health care exchanges in every instance.
At issue in the lawsuit was whether the IRS regulation conflicted with the clear language of ACA, also known as Obamacare, which appears to limit the provision of federal tax credits to only those policy holders enrolled in a health care exchange set up and run by a state.
Recommended: How much do you know about health-care reform? Take our quiz!
Two federal appeals courts reached conflicting opinions on the same issue in July, and the plaintiff in one of those cases is asking the US Supreme Court to take up the issue.
Judge White’s decision may prompt the high court to take a closer look at the case and consider whether to take it up immediately or wait for pending appeals to conclude.
At issue is a dispute over whether the federal government is authorized to issue tax credits and enforce the ACA’s employer mandate when the applicable health care exchanges are setup and run by the federal government rather than the states.