Shameful attack on Obamacare

Los Angeles Times: The lawsuit the House GOP filed against President Barack Obama has opened a new front in the attack on the 2010 health care law, this time targeting the subsidies that reduce deductibles, co-pays and other out-of-pocket expenses faced by lower-income Americans. According to the complaint, the subsidies should not have been paid because Congress never formally appropriated the money for them. The claim is legally suspect, but more important, it misidentifies the party responsible for the alleged lawbreaking. It also puts Republicans in the position of making health insurance even less affordable for struggling constituents.

The case has been in the works at least since July, when the House voted to sue Obama for allegedly exceeding his authority as president when he implemented the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

As we’ve said before, the courts are likely to toss out the case because the dispute is political, not legal. Still, it’s worth noting how Republicans have sought to undermine and destabilize the Affordable Care Act. We get that Republicans are intractably opposed to the healthcare law, but it is particularly shameful that they should take it out on the Americans most in need of the help.