WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The Fifth Circuit Court is poised to hand down a ruling on the case challenging the Affordable Care Act but President Trump may try to delay a decision.
The Department of Justice wants to strike down the Affordable Care Act but the office for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said the White House is going to ask the courts to delay a possible Supreme Court hearing until after the 2020 presidential election.
“President Trump and the GOP understand that healthcare is a huge liability to them,” said Margarida Jorge, the executive director of Heathcare for America Now. “I mean, they have spent the past 2 years trying to take away people’s healthcare — as it turns out, not very popular with the public.”
Leslie Dach, the chairman of Protect Our Care, said repealing Obamacare could have serious consequences with voters.
“Twenty million people will lose their insurance,” Dach said. “Over 100 million people — Americans — will lose their protections if they have a pre-existing condition. Twelve million seniors will have to pay more for prescription drugs. So it’s really no susprise that the president doesn’t want this talked about during an election year.”
Democrats believe another reason for attempting to delay a Supreme Court hearing or a final ruling is that Republicans don’t have a replacement plan.
Last week, White House Domestic Policy Director Joe Grogan commented on whether the administration is ready to replace the ACA.
“This is president is focused on a lot of issues beyond just the ACA that affect people’s daily lives,” Grogan said. “You know, drug prices … pediatric cancer, HIV transmission.”
Grogan said the administration is, for now, focused on improving all aspects of the healthcare system.
