Why ObamaCare's constitutionality is in question again

Americans sign up for the Affordable Care Act.
(Image credit: Getty Images)

Republicans have found yet another way to challenge the Affordable Care Act in court.

Arguments begin Tuesday in an appeals court case brought by Republican states and the federal Justice Department seeking to declare ObamaCare unconstitutional. The newest challenge to the health care law comes after the 2017 GOP tax act erased a penalty for people who didn't buy health insurance, and Republicans say that invalidates the ACA as a whole, NBC News reports.

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A group of GOP state attorneys general and governors first brought the suit to a Texas court last September, with Democratic attorneys general fighting back. A judge in that case sided with the Republicans and declared the ACA unconstitutional, though several analyses predicted the decision wouldn't affect health care coverage very much. The ACA's backers appealed the decision, and now, President Trump has dispatched Justice Department lawyers to add to the case against the health care act. Three judges, including one appointed by Trump, will hear the case.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.