State AGs Want To Intervene In Obamacare Lawsuit

The Trump administration and House Republicans have asked for another 90-day postponement in a federal lawsuit over Affordable Care Act subsidies. Last week, attorneys general from 15 states and the District of Columbia asked for permission to intervene in the long-running lawsuit, saying in a court filing that the White House cannot be trusted to defend their interests. Health insurance for millions of Americans has become “little more than political bargaining chips” under the Trump administration, the AGs wrote in the filing. The lawsuit challenges how many billions of dollars of federal payments were made to health insurers. Those payments are critical to the stability of the Affordable Care Act marketplaces, which helps subsidize health coverage for individuals. Health insurance companies have asked for certainty on the future of those payments, especially as deadlines loom for insurance companies to decide whether to offer plans in states and how much to charge. Originally, the lawsuit was filed by Republican lawmakers against the Obama administration.