Manchin, Morrisey still debating health care after election

A federal court in Texas ruled Dec. 14 that the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate penalty was unconstitutional, setting up a possible appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court — the second time the law referred to as ObamaCare has ended up at the nation’s highest court.

An earlier Supreme Court ruling, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, had determined that the individual mandate penalty was a tax, and within Congress’ power to implement. A group of 18 Republican state attorneys general, including West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey, argued that when Congress lowered the penalty to $0, it made the individual mandate unconstitutional.