CHICAGO (Reuters) -A group of Democratic attorneys general said Thursday they have sued to block the implementation of portions of a U.S. Department of Health and Human Services rule set to go into effect next month that they say could lead to nearly 2 million people losing their health insurance.
The attorneys general of 20 states, including New Jersey, California and Massachusetts, joined with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro, a Democrat, to file the lawsuit in federal court in Massachusetts. They argue that HHS’ actions illegally change the rules governing state and federal health insurance marketplaces created under the Affordable Care Act and therefore will push more healthcare costs onto the states. The final rule creates barriers to enrollment for health insurance sold on marketplaces and will increase insurance premiums, co-pays and other out-of-pocket costs they claim. The Trump administration has said that up to 1.8 million people could lose their health insurance as a result, according to the lawsuit. The attorneys general are asking the court to block portions of the rule from taking effect next month.
(Reporting by Diana Novak Jones, Editing by Alexia Garamfalvi and Aurora Ellis)
