18 Nov Hospital Groups Want Say in ACA Lawsuit

HealthLeadersMedia.com | November 17 – Six groups representing 5,000 U.S. hospitals and health systems filed an amicus brief late last week asking to join the Florida lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.

But while the state of Florida is arguing against the individual mandate, the requirement that individuals who can afford it be required to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty, these six hospital organizations hope to argue in favor of it.

The amicus brief was filed by the American Hospital Association, the Federation of American Hospitals the National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems, the National Association of Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions (NACHRI), the Catholic Health Association of the United States, and the Association of American Medical Colleges.

The case is being heard in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida in Pensacola.  The case is one of several filed by a variety states, although some state courts have declined to hear some of the legal challenges.

If they are not overturned, the individual mandate’s provisions take effect in 2016. They include subsidies to help people in certain low-income brackets buy coverage policies.

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