Supreme Court to hear key ObamaCare case next term

The Supreme Court is set to hear a key case regarding the fate of the Affordable Care Act during its next term.

In December, a federal appeals court ruled that ObamaCare's individual mandate is unconstitutional after 18 states including Texas challenged the law. The appeals court also sent the case back to a trial judge to re-examine whether the whole law is, therefore, invalid, and now, the Supreme Court is set to weigh in during its term beginning in October, NBC News reports.

The Supreme Court has already heard two key cases challenging ObamaCare and upheld the individual mandate in 2012. The New York Times notes that when it did so, this was "based on Congress' power to impose taxes," and Vox explains that the states challenging the law argue "the zeroed-out version of the mandate is unconstitutional — how can something be a tax if it raises no money whatsoever?" The plaintiffs also argue that if the individual mandate isn't constitutional, the entire law is not valid.

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The Associated Press reports that although the Democratic states appealing the lower court ruling were looking to fast-track the case and have a decision by June, it looks unlikely the court will decide on ObamaCare's fate until after the 2020 presidential election.