Attorneys general file amicus briefs with Supreme Court for individual mandate
WASHINGTON, DC - On January 13, Attorneys general from 11 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands filed amicus curiae (friend-of-the-court) briefs in regard to the healthcare reform case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The Attorneys general - all Democrats - argue that the requirement for individuals to obtain health insurance coverage falls within the constitution's Commerce Clause, which permits Congress to regulate interstate commerce.
"Congress has that authority," noted Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller at a press conference. "The healthcare industry takes up at least one-sixth of our economy. If anything is interstate commerce, it's healthcare." His filing is one of dozens of amicus briefs inundating the Supreme Court as it prepares to hear oral arguments in late March on the constitutionality of the controversial Affordable Care Act (ACA). Such briefs come not from the actual parties in the suit, such as the officials from 26 states who challenged the law, or the Obama administration, but outside groups with a stake in the case's outcome or expertise on the issues at hand.
There are different deadlines for filing amicus briefs in the ACA case, depending on the particular legal question a group is addressing and what side it is taking. In the matter of the individual mandate to obtain health insurance coverage, proponents of the government's position had until the end of January 13 to get their briefs filed. Other groups or coalitions that have gone on the legal record supporting the individual mandate include: the AARP; the American Cancer Society; the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Diabetes Association; the American Heart Association; the American Nurses Association; the American Academy of Pediatrics; the American Medical Student Association; Doctors for America; and the National Hispanic Medical Association
In addition, a number of interest groups have flooded the court with amicus briefs debating whether the entire law should be struck down if the nine judges invalidate the individual mandate. In its filing, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (COC) supported obliterating the law in that event because so many of its key provisions are related to the individual mandate.
Coc Health Insurance - News
In its filing, the US Chamber of Commerce (COC) supported erasing the law in that event because so many of its key provisions hinge on the mandate. "Congress understood that simply requiring issuers to provide coverage to all applicants at the same
The Attorneys general - all Democrats - argue that the requirement for individuals to obtain health insurance coverage falls within the constitution's Commerce Clause, which permits Congress to regulate interstate commerce. "Congress has that authority
Attorneys general file amicus briefs with Supreme Court for ...
WASHINGTON, DC - On January 13, Attorneys general from 11 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands filed amicus curiae (friend-of-the-court) briefs in regard to the healthcare reform case before the U.S. Supreme Court. The Attorneys general - all Democrats - argue that the requirement for individuals to obtain health insurance coverage falls within the constitution's Commerce Clause, which permits Congress to regulate interstate commerce.
"Congress has that authority," noted Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller at a press conference. "The healthcare industry takes up at least one-sixth of our economy. If anything is interstate commerce, it's healthcare." His filing is one of dozens of amicus briefs inundating the Supreme Court as it prepares to hear oral arguments in late March on the constitutionality of the controversial Affordable Care Act (ACA). Such briefs come not from the actual parties in the suit, such as the officials from 26 states who challenged the law, or the Obama administration, but outside groups with a stake in the case's outcome or expertise on the issues at hand.
There are different deadlines for filing amicus briefs in the ACA case, depending on the particular legal question a group is addressing and what side it is taking. In the matter of the individual mandate to obtain health insurance coverage, proponents of the government's position had until the end of January 13 to get their briefs filed. Other groups or coalitions that have gone on the legal record supporting the individual mandate include: the AARP; the American Cancer Society; the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the American Diabetes Association; the American Heart Association; the American Nurses Association; the American Academy of Pediatrics; the American Medical Student Association; Doctors for America; and the National Hispanic Medical Association
In addition, a number of interest groups have flooded the court with amicus briefs debating whether the entire law should be struck down if the nine judges invalidate the individual mandate. In its filing, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce (COC) supported obliterating the law in that event because so many of its key provisions are related to the individual mandate.