Federal court: ObamaCare individual mandate unconstitutional

A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that the Affordable Care Act's individual insurance mandate is unconstitutional, striking down a key provision of ObamaCare, reports The New York Times.

The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 2-1 that the ACA could not require people to have health insurance, but sent the rest of the case to a separate court in Texas. The Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate in 2012, but because Congress repealed the tax law that allowed the mandate and the Trump administration has opted not to defend the ACA, the mandate was re-examined.

The rest of the health care bill's legality will be handled by a Texas court that previously argued the entire ACA was invalid. A final decision is likely several months away, writes Nola.com.

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Read more at The New York Times and Nola.com.