Statement by Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Court’s Rejection of Trump Administration’s Attempt to Undermine Affordable Care Act

March 28, 2019

HARRISBURG — Attorney General Josh Shapiro tonight issued the following statement on a federal judge’s rejection of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Association Health Plan Rule that sought to expand the criteria for forming health plans for the purpose of evading consumer protections and undermining the Affordable Care Act:

“The Affordable Care Act is the law, and we took action against association health plans to enforce that law and protect Pennsylvanians’ care,” said Attorney General Josh Shapiro. “Association health plans often lead to fraud, mismanagement, and abuse—they are not safe and affordable healthcare that Pennsylvania families can rely on. This court victory proves again that just because President Trump doesn’t like the Affordable Care Act, his Administration cannot get away with illegal maneuvers to ignore the law.”

“The Final Rule is clearly an end-run around the ACA,” wrote U.S. District Court Judge John D. Bates in his opinion. The ruling is the result of a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Shapiro and 11 other Attorneys General against the Rule in July 2018.

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