Washington, D.C.
Trying again: The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court to revoke the entire Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, arguing that without the act’s penalty for not purchasing insurance— removed in 2017—the whole law falls outside Congress’ taxing powers. More than 23 million people would lose their health insurance if the court agrees, including the 487,000 who enrolled in ACA plans in April and May amid nationwide lockdowns. President Trump had vowed to preserve Obamacare protections for pre-existing conditions, but the administration now says the provision is “inseverable” from the rest of the act, and has offered no replacement. The case was brought by a coalition of Republican attorneys general. Arguments are scheduled for the court’s October session, though they might not come before the election. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) lambasted the move as “an act of unfathomable cruelty” amid a pandemic.