ACA Declared Invalid: Nothing Happens Yet

A Texas Court found the individual mandate within the Affordable Care Act ‘unconstitutional’ this week, rendering the Act itself invalid.

What does this ruling mean for people who have ‘Obamacare’? In the short term, it means nothing. The decision will be appealed (first to the 5th Circuit, and then to the Supreme Court, which may or may not agree to hear the case). As The Department of Health and Human Services noted on December 17:

“The recent U.S. District Court decision regarding the Affordable Care Act is not an injunction that halts the enforcement of the law and not a final judgment. Therefore, HHS will continue administering and enforcing all aspects of the ACA as it had before the court issued its decision. This decision does not require that HHS make any changes to any of the ACA programs it administers or its enforcement of any portion of the ACA at this time.”

Employers should continue all efforts to file 1094-C and 1095-C forms on time in 2019, and should not anticipate any changes to existing applicable law at this time.