(AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
BREAKING: Federal Court Rules Trump Administration Undermined ACA, Strikes Down Four Trump-Era ACA Policies
A federal court in Baltimore ruled that the Trump administration unlawfully undermined the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and struck down four provisions of a Trump administration regulation that distorted the ACA’s requirements and undercut its success in providing affordable, high-quality health insurance to millions of Americans.
Learn MoreSince his inauguration, President Trump and his administration have intentionally and unconstitutionally sabotaged the Affordable Care Act. President Trump’s actions have increased the cost of health coverage; they have discouraged enrollment; and they have sowed uncertainty in health insurance markets, eliminating choices for quality health insurance. The President’s goal is clear: to dismantle the ACA by executive action alone. President Trump’s unprecedented attempts to sabotage the duly enacted ACA defy his most fundamental duties under the Constitution. We sued on behalf of cities and consumers to stop it.
President Trump’s actions harm American families nationwide by making it harder and more expensive to obtain quality health care. President Trump’s continued and systematic attacks on the ACA cause both the cost of health coverage and the number of underinsured Americans to increase. The administration’s actions have also harmed cities nationwide by forcing them to pick up the tab for providing healthcare to uninsured or underinsured individuals.
We filed suit to stop President Trump’s sabotage of the ACA on behalf of five cities—Columbus, Ohio, Baltimore, Maryland, Cincinnati, Ohio, Chicago, Illinois, and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania—and citizens from Corvallis, Oregon. The lawsuit argues that President Trump’s actions violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the Constitution’s Take Care Clause. We’re asking the Court to declare that the Trump administration has broken the law and order it to take specific steps to faithfully enforce the ACA, including by restoring funding for advertising and for Navigator groups, restoring open enrollment periods to their prior length, and promoting the availability of comprehensive, reasonably-priced health insurance for individuals and families with pre-existing conditions.
Individuals and Cities Sue President Trump for Intentionally Sabotaging ACA, Increasing Costs of Health Coverage
Read the press releaseIn the news
Judge rules cities’ Affordable Care Act lawsuit can proceed
AP / April 11, 2020
Trump’s undermining of Obamacare violates the Constitution, new lawsuit charges
NBC News / August 2, 2018
Trump’s Sabotage of Obamacare Is Illegal
New York Times / August 14, 2018
Emails Show Trump Administration Was Told Obamacare Ad Cuts Could Hurt Enrollment
Huffington Post / December 14, 2018
August 2, 2018
We filed suit, alleging that President Trump’s attempts to sabotage the ACA are unlawful.
Learn MoreDecember 24, 2018
The Trump administration filed its motion to dismiss our lawsuit.
One of the Administration’s primary responses is to promise that things are getting better, but it ignores the ways in which its own actions have made things worse by driving up the costs of quality health coverage.
Learn MoreJanuary 25, 2019
We amended our lawsuit.
Philadelphia, the sixth largest city in the country, joined our coalition. We also amended our complaint to detail President Trump’s most recent deliberate and systematic attacks on the health law, which have driven premiums up and pushed Americans off of quality insurance plans.
Learn MoreMarch 8, 2019
The government filed its amended motion to dismiss our case.
May 31, 2019
We responded to the government’s latest attempt to dismiss our case.
This filing detailed the deliberate and unlawful attacks by the administration on the health law; since our coalition filed suit last year, the Trump administration’s sabotage has made quality health insurance more expensive and less accessible.
Learn MoreJune 7, 2019
Coalitions file amicus briefs.
The U.S. House of Representatives, 20 states, 13 cities and counties, four advocacy groups, health insurance marketing expert Joshua Peck (Get America Covered), and health economist Henry Aaron (Brookings) filed six “friend of the court” briefs in support of our lawsuit.
Learn MoreAugust 21, 2019
The government replied to our response.
April 10, 2020
Federal court rejected the government’s attempt to dismiss our lawsuit.
The court held that the Plaintiffs’ claims that the Trump Administration's policies have increased premiums and the number of uninsured Americans were sufficient to defeat the government’s motion to dismiss and allow the case to move forward.
Learn MoreAugust 13, 2020
We filed our motion for summary judgement.
Amidst this devastating pandemic, five U.S. cities and two individuals who rely on the individual health insurance marketplace filed a motion for summary judgment. The administration’s unlawful efforts to sabotage the ACA drive up premiums, make enrollment more difficult, and cause more people to go without affordable, high-quality insurance.
Learn MoreSeptember 28, 2020
The Government filed its opposition, concedes their sabotage of the ACA is harming cities.
Amid continued reporting of Americans losing health coverage during the pandemic, the Trump administration replied to our lawsuit and did not contest that their actions are causing harm to cities.
Learn MoreOctober 26, 2020
PLANNED PARENTHOOD, YOUNG INVINCIBLES, OTHERS FILE BRIEFS IN SUPPORT OF OUR SUIT.
In two amicus briefs, Young Invincibles and the Shriver Center on Poverty Law, Planned Parenthood, the National Health Law Program, the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum, the Association of Asian Pacific Community Health Organizations, and Families USA explained how the administration’s assault on the ACA has made it especially hard for young adults, women, people of color, and low-income Americans to obtain quality health care. We also filed our consolidated reply in support of our motion for summary judgment.
Learn MoreRelated Documents
- Complaint As Filed (8/2/2018) (PDF / 612 KB)
- Amended Complaint (1/25/19) (PDF / 778 KB)
- Motion to Dismiss Amended Complaint (3/8/19) (PDF / 593 KB)
- Opposition to Motion to Dismiss (5/31/19) (PDF / 2 MB)
- U.S. House of Representatives Amicus Brief (6/7/19) (PDF / 602 KB)
- States Amicus Brief (6/7/19) (PDF / 7 MB)
- Cities and Counties Amicus Brief (6/7/19) (PDF / 394 KB)
- Advocacy Groups Amicus Brief (6/7/19) (PDF / 125 KB)
- Henry Aaron Amicus Brief (6/7/19) (PDF / 310 KB)
- Josh Peck Amicus Brief (6/7/19) (PDF / 1 MB)
- Government's Reply (8/21/19) (PDF / 372 KB)
- Memorandum Opinion (04/10/20) (PDF / 181 KB)
- Motion for Summary Judgement (08/13/20) (PDF / 688 KB)
- Government Cross-motion and Opposition (09/28/20) (PDF / 562 KB)
- Shriver et al Amicus Brief (10/26/20) (PDF / 163 KB)
- Plaintiffs’ Consolidated Reply In Support Of Their Motion For Summary Judgment (10/26/20) (PDF / 421 KB)
- Memorandum Opinion (03/05/21) (PDF / 168 KB)
John Lewis
Senior CounselLitigating challenges to unlawful actions at the federal and state level.
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