Obamacare court ruling promises headaches for GOP, years of familiar health care fights

By Benjy Sarlin

WASHINGTON — Obamacare isn’t going anywhere yet, but a Texas judge’s ruling that would invalidate the entire law in response to a Republican-led and White House-supported lawsuit could mean potentially years of pitched battles on health care.

The latest ruling isn’t final and will inevitably be appealed to the 5th Circuit, which leans conservative but experts see as unpredictable in this case, and then potentially the Supreme Court, which has rejected previous lawsuits striking at the core of the Affordable Care Act.

It’s possible the legal fight could even extend into a second Trump term — or someone else’s first.

“Knowing how things move in the courts, it will probably take a couple of years,” Sally Pipes, president of the Pacific Research Institute and a supporter of the lawsuit brought by Republican state attorneys general, told NBC News. “They need to come up with a plan, because the 2020 election is already under way” . . .