The Affordable Care Act has remained strong despite the lack of an individual mandate, which was effectively stripped in the 2018 budget by Republicans. The fact that the healthcare law has been unaffected by the change “undercuts” a key argument in an ongoing lawsuit over the constitutionality of the ACA, Axios reported.
In fact, healthcare enrollees are relatively stable from years prior, when the individual mandate was in effect, premiums have not risen dramatically and there has been no otherwise “market death spiral,” Axios reported.
The individual mandate was also struck down in a court ruling at the end of December 2019. That decision, which found the mandate unconstitutional, kept other provisions of the CA intact.
The ACA is still embroiled in litigation, with the Trump administration siding with Republicans that the entire healthcare law should be thrown out. While the case is in appeal, the ACA remains intact and functioning without the mandate.
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Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."