Justice Department Won’t Defend Affordable Care Act in Lawsuit Brought by States

Filing creates uncertainty for insurers now setting rates for 2019

The Justice Department won’t defend major provisions in the Affordable Care Act and is asking a federal court to strike down key elements of the law, a new blow to the health law and the stability of the individual insurance market.

The department, in a brief it filed Thursday in a lawsuit brought by 20 state attorneys general, asks the court to halt ACA protections that Republicans in Congress sought to preserve when they attempted to repeal the health law.

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