A judgment of a federal judge in the US, which had declared the health care reform "Obamacare" unconstitutional, does not come into force for the time being. Judge Reed O'Connor made his own decision on Sunday night (local time). He stressed that he still considered the health care reform unconstitutional. However, the order should not come into force immediately, as many Americans would otherwise be confronted with "great uncertainty".
Appeals against the verdict are now possible, and Obamacare remains in force for the time being. The reform was passed in 2010 and regulates access to health insurance. Republicans around President Donald Trump failed several times last year to try to abolish Obamacare.
The Texas judge, by his decision in mid-December, had supported the plaintiffs, an alliance of about 20 Republican Attorneys General and governors. O'Connor justified his decision with a change in the tax code in 2017. Therefore, it was unconstitutional that US citizens who do not take health care, fined as Obamacare envisaged.
A number of states have already announced their intention to appeal against the Texas verdict. It is likely that the case ends up in the Supreme Court.