Former US President Barack Obama along with Democratic lawmakers have condemned a federal judge’s ruling that could undo Obamacare, with top Democrats promising to take rapid action against the ruling.
On Friday, US District Judge Reed O’Connor in Fort Worth, Texas, ruled that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional based on its mandate requiring that people buy health insurance.
He made the ruling following a lawsuit filed by 20 states opposed to the federal government health plan. The judge agreed with the states that a change in tax law last year that eliminated a penalty for not having health insurance invalidated the entire Obamacare law.
The decision provoked furious backlashes from Democratic Obama and lawmakers as well as medical professionals.
Representative Nancy Pelosi, who may become Speaker in the new Congress, described the ruling as “absurd,” saying that Democrats in the House will “swiftly intervene in the…