Judge Dismisses Sen. Johnson’s Lawsuit Against Health Law Provision
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., is challenging the requirement that members of Congress and their staffs get government-subsidized health care through the law's online marketplaces, but U.S. District Judge William Griesbach in Wisconsin says Johnson and his aide had not been harmed by the law.
The Associated Press: Judge Tosses Wisconsin Senator’s Health Care Suit
A federal judge on Monday dismissed a U.S. senator’s lawsuit challenging a requirement that congressional members and their staffs to obtain government-subsidized health insurance through small business exchanges, saying the senator had no grounds to sue (Johnson, 7/21).
Politico: Judge Tosses Sen. Ron Johnson’s Obamacare Lawsuit
A federal judge said Monday that Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) cannot challenge the Obamacare policy that lawmakers and their staff obtain health insurance through the exchanges. The ruling could prove ominous for House Republicans as they prepare to file suit against the Obama administration, also against Obamacare. That suit would focus on a different issue, the president’s delay of the employer mandate (Haberkorn, 7/21).
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Federal Judge Throws Out Ron Johnson's Obamacare Lawsuit
Johnson, a Republican from Oshkosh, argued that members of Congress and their staffs were required to get insurance on their own under the Affordable Care Act, also widely known as Obamacare. But U.S. District Judge William Griesbach in Green Bay ruled Monday that Johnson and his aide, Brooke Ericson, didn't have legal standing to bring their case because they hadn't been injured. "Given that the plaintiffs receive, at worst, a benefit, they cannot claim to be injured under an equal protection theory," Griesbach wrote in his 20-page decision. In a statement, Johnson said he would review the decision before deciding whether to appeal (Marley, 7/22).
Reuters: U.S. Judge Dismisses Republican Lawsuit Over Obamacare Subsidy For Congress
U.S. Senator Ron Johnson of Wisconsin had challenged the right of the federal government to continue making employer contributions to Congressional health insurance plans even when lawmakers and their staff purchase coverage through new Obamacare online exchanges. U.S. District Judge William Griesbach, in Green Bay, dismissed the lawsuit on Monday, saying Johnson had failed to show he had been harmed by the regulation (O’Brian, 7/22).
Bloomberg: Wisconsin Senator's ACA Subsidy Suit Thrown Out
U.S. District Judge William Griesbach in Green Bay, Wisconsin, threw out the senator's case, ruling yesterday that without a "concrete injury" that can be remedied by the court, the dispute ought to be resolved politically. Johnson, a first-term Republican from Wisconsin, sued President Barack Obama's administration this year. He argued the subsidy treats legislators and their employees better than most Americans working for private employers, violating the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of equal protection (Harris, 7/22).