The U.S. District Court of Maryland on Friday issued a preliminary injunction halting the Trump administration from making changes to the Affordable Care Act’s health insurance marketplace days before the changes were set to take effect.
U.S. District Judge Brendan Hurson in Baltimore sided with plaintiffs’ arguments that more than 2.2M could lose healthcare coverage due to the changes planned under the “Marketplace Integrity and Affordability” rule, which was scheduled for implementation on Aug. 25.
In the lawsuit filed by the legal group Democracy Forward on behalf of parties including the city of Chicago and Doctors for America in July, the judge paused changes as the case moves forward.
Hurson halted the implementation of almost all portions of the rule that plaintiffs challenged in court, including those related to higher fees and additional scrutiny targeted at low-income enrollees.
“By blocking the Trump-Vance administration’s dangerous rule, the court has protected millions of Americans from losing coverage, facing higher costs, and being denied essential benefits,” said Dr. Christine Petrin, Board President, Doctors for America.
Operators in the ACA marketplace include Centene (NYSE:CNC), Molina Healthcare (MOH), UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH), Oscar Health (NYSE:OSCR), Elevance Health (ELV), CVS Health (NYSE:CVS), and Cigna (CI).