ACA lawsuit on pause during government shutdown

The longest partial government shutdown in history has paused paychecks for roughly 800,000 workers and stalled the appeal process of a ruling that the Affordable Care Act is unconstitutional.

In December, a U.S. District Court judge ruled the healthcare law should be overturned in a lawsuit brought by 20 Republican governors and attorneys general. The ruling could throw the American healthcare system into chaos, though the ACA will remain in place while Democrats appeal the decision.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit temporarily halted the appeal proceedings at the request of the Department of Justice on Jan. 11 due to the government shutdown, The Hill reported. The partial government shutdown began Dec. 22 and is the longest-running shutdown in American history. Justice Department attorneys prohibited from working wouldn’t be able to make deadlines if the case was not paused.

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Amy Baxter

Amy joined TriMed Media as a Senior Writer for HealthExec after covering home care for three years. When not writing about all things healthcare, she fulfills her lifelong dream of becoming a pirate by sailing in regattas and enjoying rum. Fun fact: she sailed 333 miles across Lake Michigan in the Chicago Yacht Club "Race to Mackinac."

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