Texas et al v. United States of America et al

Filing 27

AMENDED COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF against All Defendants filed by West Virgina, Florida, South Carolina, Texas, South Dakota, North Dakota, Arkansas, Utah, Missouri, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Arizona, Indiana, Paul LePage, Nebraska, Georgia, Wisconsin, Tennessee, Alabama, Neill Hurley, John Nantz. Unless exempted, attorneys who are not admitted to practice in the Northern District of Texas must seek admission promptly. Forms, instructions, and exemption information may be found at www.txnd.uscourts.gov, or by clicking here: Attorney Information - Bar Membership. If admission requirements are not satisfied within 21 days, the clerk will notify the presiding judge. (McCarty, Darren)

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IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS
FORT WORTH DIVISION
TEXAS,
WISCONSIN,
ALABAMA,
ARKANSAS,
ARIZONA,
FLORIDA,
GEORGIA,
INDIANA,
KANSAS,
LOUISIANA,
PAUL LePAGE, Governor of Maine,
GOVERNOR PHIL BRYANT OF
THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI,
MISSOURI,
NEBRASKA,
NORTH DAKOTA,
SOUTH CAROLINA,
SOUTH DAKOTA,
TENNESSEE,
UTAH,
WEST VIRGINIA,
NEILL HURLEY, and
JOHN NANTZ,
Plaintiffs,
v.
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT
OF HEALTH AND HUMAN
SERVICES, ALEX AZAR,
in his Official Capacity as
SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND
HUMAN SERVICES, UNITED
STATES INTERNAL REVENUE
SERVICE, and DAVID J. KAUTTER,
in his Official Capacity as Acting
COMMISSIONER OF INTERNAL
REVENUE,
Defendants.

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Civil Action No. 4:18-CV-00167-O

AMENDED COMPLAINT FOR DECLARATORY AND INJUNCTIVE RELIEF
TO THE HONORABLE REED O’CONNOR:
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (the “Affordable Care Act,” “the
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ACA” or “the Act”), as recently amended, forces an unconstitutional and irrational
regime onto the States and their citizens. Because this recent amendment renders
legally impossible the Supreme Court’s prior savings construction of the Affordable
Care Act’s core provision—the individual mandate—the Court should hold that the
ACA is unlawful and enjoin its operation.
NFIB v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. 519 (2012), held that in enacting the ACA, Congress
sought to do something unconstitutional: impose a mandate to obtain health
insurance by requiring that most Americans “shall” insure that they are “covered
under minimum essential coverage.” 26 U.S.C. § 5000A(a). “Congress [wrongly]
thought it could enact such a command under the Commerce Clause[.]” NFIB, 567
U.S. at 562 (Roberts, C.J.). The Supreme Court, however, interpreted the mandate to
be part-and-parcel of a tax penalty that applies to many (but not all) of those to whom
the mandate applies. Thus, even though Congress sought to do something
unconstitutional in enacting the mandate under the Commerce Clause, the Supreme
Court salvaged its handiwork as a lawful exercise of the taxing power. But things
changed on December 22, 2017.
On December 22, 2017, the President signed into law the Tax Cuts and Jobs
Act of 2017. This new legislation eliminated the tax penalty of the ACA, without
eliminating the mandate itself. What remains, then, is the individual mandate,
without any accompanying exercise of Congress’s taxing power, which the Supreme
Court already held that Congress has no authority to enact. Not only is the individual
mandate now unlawful, but this core provision is not severable from the rest of the
ACA—as four Justices of the Supreme Court already concluded. In fact, Congress
stated in the legislative text that the ACA does not function without the individual
mandate.
The ACA’s unconstitutionality follows from three holdings in NFIB and the
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aforementioned provision in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. First, a majority of
the Supreme Court held that Congress lacks the constitutional authority to compel
citizens to purchase health insurance. NFIB, 567 U.S. at 558 (Roberts, C.J.); id. at
657 (Scalia, Kennedy, Thomas, and Alito, JJ., dissenting) (hereinafter “Dissenting
Op.”). Second, the same majority concluded that the ACA included a mandate to buy
health insurance that applies to most (but not all) citizens, and a separate tax penalty
that applies to most (but not all) of those required to buy insurance under the
mandate. Id. at 562–63 (Roberts, C.J.); id. at 663 (Dissenting Op.). Third, a different
majority held that, as a matter of constitutional avoidance, it was “fairly possible” to
reinterpret the mandate and tax penalty as a single “tax,” which Congress may enact
under its taxing authority. Id. at 564–74. In reaching this end, the majority concluded
that Congress’s taxing-power interpretation was only “fairly possible” because the
provision at issue raised “at least some revenue for the Government.” Id. at 564 (citing
United States v. Kahriger, 345 U.S. 22 (1953)). Indeed, the raising of “at least some
revenue” was “the essential feature of any tax.” Id. (emphasis added). After all, if a
provision raises no revenue, it cannot be said “to pay the Debts and provide for the
common Defence and general Welfare of the United States.” U.S. Const. art. I, § 8,
cl. 1 (emphasis added).
Pursuant to the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, starting in 2019, the tax
penalty is eliminated by reducing the tax to zero. Pub. L. No. 115-97, § 11081, 131
Stat. 2054. The individual mandate itself, however, remains. But because the tax
penalty provision in the ACA no longer raises any revenue, the Supreme Court’s
avoidance reading is no longer possible. As the Congressional Budget Office
explained, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 “eliminate[s]” the “individual mandate
penalty . . . but [not] the mandate itself.” Congressional Budget Office, Repealing the
Individual Health Insurance Mandate: An Updated Estimate 1, (November 2017)
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(emphasis added) (hereinafter “CBO 2017 Report”). 1 Because the tax penalty raises
$0, it lacks “the essential feature of any tax,” and the avoidance interpretation adopted
in NFIB to save the individual mandate from its unconstitutionality is no longer
“fairly possible.”
Following the enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, the country is
left with an individual mandate to buy health insurance that lacks any constitutional
basis. The invalidity of the ACA’s core provision (individual mandate) thus follows
from NFIB.
Once

the

heart

of

the

ACA—the

individual

mandate—is

declared

unconstitutional, the remainder of the ACA must also fall. NFIB, 567 U.S. at 691–
708 (Dissenting Op.). As Congress made clear, “[t]he requirement [for individuals to
buy health insurance] is essential to creating effective health insurance markets.” 42
U.S.C. § 18091(2)(I) (emphasis added). “[T]he absence of th[is] requirement would
undercut Federal regulation of the health insurance market.” Id. § 18091(2)(H). In
particular, “the guaranteed issue and community rating requirements would not
work without the coverage requirement [i.e., Section 5000A].” King v. Burwell, 135
S. Ct. 2480, 2487 (2015) (emphasis added). So because the remainder of ACA does not
“function in a manner consistent with the intent of Congress,” the whole Act must
fall with the mandate. Alaska Airlines, Inc. v. Brock, 480 U.S. 678, 684–85 (1987)
(describing severability analysis) (emphasis added).
Absent the individual mandate, the ACA is an irrational regulatory regime
governing an essential market. The ACA’s stated objectives are “achiev[ing] nearuniversal [health-insurance] coverage,” 42 U.S.C. § 18091(2)(D), “lower[ing] health
insurance premiums,” id. § 18091(2)(F), and “creating effective health insurance
markets,” id. § 18091(2)(I). But without the “essential” mandate, coverage will
See
mandate.pdf.
1

https://www.cbo.gov/system/files/115th-congress-2017-2018/reports/53300-individual

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decrease, premiums will rise, and markets will become irrational. See id. Thus, the
post-mandate ACA lacks “some footing” in the “realities” of the health-insurance
market, Heller v. Doe, 509 U.S. 312, 321 (1993), and has no “plausible policy reason”
for forcing continued compliance, Armour v. City of Indianapolis, 566 U.S. 673, 681
(2012).
In all, the ACA is unlawful and the Court should enjoin its operation.
Therefore, Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief against the United States
of America, United States Department of Health and Human Services, Alex Azar, in
his official capacity as Secretary of Health and Human Services, United States
Internal Revenue Service, and David J. Kautter, in his official capacity as Acting
Commissioner of Internal Revenue, regarding Defendants’ actions implementing and
enforcing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
I. PARTIES
1.

Plaintiff States are all sovereigns within the United States.

2.

Plaintiff Paul LePage is the Governor of Maine and Chief Executive of

the Maine Constitution and the laws enacted by the Maine Legislature. Me. Const.
art. V, Pt. 1, § 1.
3.

Plaintiff Phil Bryant is the Governor of Mississippi and brings this suit

on behalf of Mississippi pursuant to Miss. Code Ann. § 7-1-33.
4.

Plaintiff Neill Hurley is a citizen and resident of Texas and a citizen of

the United States. Mr. Hurley maintains minimum essential health insurance
coverage, which he purchased on the ACA-created exchange. Mr. Hurley is subject to
the individual mandate and objects to being required by federal law to comply with
it.
5.

Plaintiff John Nantz is a citizen and resident of the State of Texas and

a citizen of the United States. Mr. Nantz maintains minimum essential health
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insurance coverage, which he purchased on the ACA-created exchange. Mr. Nantz is
subject to the individual mandate and objects to being required by federal law to
comply with it.
6.

In addition to performing various sovereign functions and prerogatives,

all Plaintiff States function as significant employers with tens of millions under their
collective charge. 2
7.

Defendants are the United States of America, the United States

Department of Health and Human Services (“Department”), Alex Azar, in his official
capacity as Secretary of Health and Human Services, the United States Internal
Revenue Service (“Service”), and David J. Kautter, in his official capacity as Acting
Commissioner of Internal Revenue.
8.

The Department is a federal agency and is responsible for

administration and enforcement of the laws challenged here. See generally 20 U.S.C.
§ 3508; 42 U.S.C. §§ 202–03, 3501.
9.

The Service is a bureau of the Department of Treasury, under the

direction of the Acting Commissioner of Internal Revenue, David J. Kautter, and is
responsible for collecting taxes, administering the Internal Revenue Code, and
overseeing various aspects of the Act. See generally 26 U.S.C. § 7803 et. seq.; see
https://www.irs.gov/affordable-care-act/affordable-care-act-tax-provisions.
10.

Any injunctive relief requested herein must be imposed upon the

Department, Secretary, Service, and the Acting Commissioner for Plaintiffs to obtain
full relief.
II. JURISDICTION AND VENUE
11.

The Court has jurisdiction pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1331 because this

See, e.g., U.S. Census Bureau, State and Local Government Employment and Payroll Data: March
2015 Annual Survey of Public Employment & Payroll, http:// factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/
GEP/2015/00A4.
2

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suit concerns the constitutionality of the ACA. The Court also has jurisdiction to
compel the Secretary of Health and Human Services and Acting Commissioner of
Internal Revenue to perform their duties pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1361.
12.

The Plaintiffs’ claims for declaratory and injunctive relief are authorized

by 28 U.S.C. §§ 2201 and 2202, by 5 U.S.C. § 706, by Rules 57 and 65 of the Federal
Rules of Civil Procedure, and by the general legal and equitable powers of the Court.
13.

Venue is proper under 28 U.S.C. § 1391 because the United States, two

of its agencies, and two of its officers in their official capacity are Defendants; and a
substantial part of the events giving rise to the Plaintiffs’ claims occurred in this
District. Further, a plaintiff “resides” in this district, a “substantial part of the events
[ ] giving rise to the claim occurred” in this district, and “no real property is involved.”
Id. § 1391(e)(1).
III. FACTUAL BACKGROUND
A.

The Individual Mandate and the Affordable Care Act.
14.

In 2010, Congress enacted a sweeping new regulatory framework for the

nation’s healthcare system by passing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care
Act, Pub. L. No. 111-148, 124 Stat. 119, and the Health Care and Education
Reconciliation Act of 2010, Pub. L. No. 111-152, 124 Stat. 1029, collectively and
commonly referred to as the “Affordable Care Act.” See Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act, Pub. L. No. 111-148, 124 Stat. 119-1025 (Mar. 23, 2010)
(hereinafter, collectively, “the Affordable Care Act,” “the ACA” or “the Act”). President
Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (H.R. 3590, 111th
Cong.) into law on March 23, 2010, and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation
Act (H.R. 4872, 111th Cong.) into law on March 30, 2010.
15.

The ACA has the express statutory goals of “achiev[ing] near-universal

[health-insurance] coverage,” 42 U.S.C. § 18091(2)(D), “lower[ing] health insurance
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premiums,” id. § 18091(2)(F), and “creating effective health insurance markets,” id.
§ 18091(2)(I).
16.

The ACA contains three main features relevant to this lawsuit.

17.

First, the ACA contains an “individual mandate” on most Americans to

purchase health insurance and, separately, a tax penalty for most who fail to comply.
ACA § 1501; 26 U.S.C. § 5000A.
a. The statutory title of the individual mandate is “Requirement To
Maintain Minimum Essential Coverage,” ACA § 1501; 26 U.S.C.
§ 5000A(a), and the statutory title for the tax penalty is “Shared
Responsibility Payment,” ACA § 1501; 26 U.S.C. § 5000A(b). The
individual mandate provides: “An applicable individual shall . . . ensure
that the individual . . . is covered under minimum essential coverage.”
26 U.S.C. § 5000A(a).
b. Subsection

(b)

of

Section

5000A—the

“Shared

Responsibility

Payment”—imposed a tax “penalty” on individuals who failed to comply
with Subsection (a): “If a taxpayer who is an applicable individual . . .
fails to meet the requirement of subsection (a) . . . then . . . there is
hereby imposed on the taxpayer a penalty with respect to such
failure[ ].” 26 U.S.C. § 5000A(b)(1). Subsection (c) determines the
amount of the tax penalty with a multi-step formula. Id. § 5000A(c).
c. Some Americans are exempt from the individual mandate, see 26 U.S.C.
§ 5000A(d)(2)–(4); id. § 1402(g)(1), while others are subject to the
mandate but exempt from the tax penalty, see 26 U.S.C. § 5000A(e)(1)–
(5). “Many individuals . . . [will] comply with a mandate, even in the
absence of penalties, because they believe in abiding by the nation’s
laws.” Congressional Budget Office, Key Issues in Analyzing Major
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Health Insurance Proposals 53 (Dec. 2008). 3
18.

Second, the ACA imposes regulations on health-insurance companies.
a. The Act requires health insurance companies to “accept every employer
and individual in the State that applies for [ ] coverage,” regardless of
preexisting conditions (commonly termed “guaranteed issue”). ACA
§ 1201; 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-1–4.
b. The Act prohibits insurance companies from charging individuals higher
premiums because of their health (commonly termed “community
rating”). ACA § 1201; 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-4(a)(1).
c. The Act imposes numerous coverage requirements on all healthinsurance plans, termed “essential health benefits” in the Act, and
limitations on “cost-sharing” on all plans. See ACA §§ 1301–02; 42
U.S.C. §§ 18021–22.
d. The Act charges “the Secretary” with the authority to “define the
essential health benefits” that plans must include. ACA § 1302; 42
U.S.C. § 18022. Such benefits “shall include” at least “ambulatory
patient services,” “emergency services,” “hospitalization,” “maternity
and newborn care,” “mental health and substance use disorder services,
including

behavioral

health

treatment,”

“prescription

drugs,”

“rehabilitative and habilitative services and devices,” “laboratory
services,” “preventive and wellness services and chronic disease
management,” and “pediatric services, including oral and vision care.”
ACA § 1302; 42 U.S.C. § 18022(b)(1)(A)–(J) (capitalization altered).
19.

Third, the ACA contains other regulations to promote access to health

insurance and the affordability of that insurance.
3

See https://www.cbo.gov/sites/default/files/110th-congress-2007-2008/reports/12-18-keyissues.pdf.

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a. Employers of 50 or more full-time employees (defined as working “on
average at least 30 hours [ ] per week,” ACA § 1513; 26 U.S.C.
§ 4980H(c)(4)(A)) must offer affordable health insurance if one employee
qualifies for a subsidy to purchase health insurance on the healthinsurance exchanges created by the ACA. See ACA § 1513; 26 U.S.C.
§ 4980H.
b. Covered employers that fail to offer any insurance must pay a penalty
of $2,000 per year per employee. ACA § 1513; 26 U.S.C. § 4980H(a),
(c)(1). If the employer fails to offer affordable insurance, then it must
pay $3,000 per year per employee. ACA § 1513; 26 U.S.C. § 4980H(b); 79
Fed. Reg. 8544, 8544 (Feb. 12, 2014).
c. The Act also authorizes refundable tax credits to make insurance
purchased on the exchanges more affordable for individuals between
100% and 400% of the poverty line. See ACA § 1401; 26 U.S.C. § 36B.
d. The Act substantially expanded Medicaid, requiring States to cover—
with an expanded benefits package—all individuals under 65 who have
income below 133% of the poverty line. 42 U.S.C. § 1396; see generally
NFIB, 567 U.S. at 574–80 (Roberts, C.J.) (describing expansion and
holding that forcing States to comply is unconstitutional).
e. The Act also imposes additional insurance taxes and regulations, like a
tax on high cost employer-sponsored health coverage, 26 U.S.C. § 4980I,
a requirement that insurance providers cover dependents up to 26 years
of age, 42 U.S.C. § 300gg-14(a), the elimination of coverage limits, id.
§ 300gg-11, and a reduction in federal reimbursement rates to hospitals,
see 42 U.S.C. § 1395ww.
f. Finally, the Act contains a grab bag of other provisions. For example,
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the Act imposes a 2.3% tax on certain medical devices, 26 U.S.C.
§ 4191(a), creates mechanisms for the Secretary to issue compliance
waivers to States attempting to reduce costs through otherwiseprohibited means, 42 U.S.C. § 1315, and regulates the display of
nutritional content at certain restaurants, 21 U.S.C. § 343(q)(5)(H).
20.

According to Congress’s own findings, the ACA’s provisions do not

function rationally without the individual mandate.
a. Congress stressed the importance of Section 5000A’s individual
mandate with explicit findings in the text of the ACA itself. ACA § 1501;
42 U.S.C. § 18091.
b. Chief among these legislative findings is Section 18091(a)(2)(I), which
provides:
Under sections 2704 and 2705 of the Public Health Service
Act [42 U.S.C. 300gg-3, 300gg-4] (as added by section 1201
of this Act), if there were no requirement [to buy health
insurance], many individuals would wait to purchase
health insurance until they needed care. By significantly
increasing health insurance coverage, the requirement [to
buy health insurance], together with the other provisions
of this Act, will minimize this adverse selection and
broaden the health insurance risk pool to include healthy
individuals, which will lower health insurance premiums.
The requirement is essential to creating effective health
insurance markets in which improved health insurance
products that are guaranteed issue and do not exclude
coverage of pre-existing conditions can be sold.
42 U.S.C. § 18091(a)(2)(G) (emphasis added). Even after the recent
legislative change, the individual mandate remains part of the ACA,
permitting the ACA to function exactly as Congress outlined and
intended.
c. Other legislative findings from Section 18091 reinforce this point.
i. “By significantly reducing the number of the uninsured, the
requirement, together with the other provisions of th[e] [ACA],
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will significantly reduce [health care’s] economic cost.” Id.
§ 18091(2)(E). “[B]y significantly reducing the number of the
uninsured, the requirement, together with the other provisions of
th[e] [ACA], will lower health insurance premiums.” Id.
§ 18091(2)(F).
ii. “The requirement is an essential part of [the Government’s]
regulation of economic activity, and the absence of the
requirement would undercut Federal regulation of the health
insurance market.” Id. § 18091(2)(H) (emphasis added).
iii. “[T]he requirement, together with the other provisions of th[e]
[ACA], will significantly reduce administrative costs and lower
health insurance premiums. The requirement is essential to
creating effective health insurance markets that do not require
underwriting and eliminate its associated administrative costs.”
Id. § 18091(2)(J) (emphasis added).
d. The Supreme Court explained that the ACA’s provisions are “closely
intertwined,” such that “the guaranteed issue and community rating
requirements would not work without the coverage requirement [i.e.,
Section 5000A].” King, 135 S. Ct. at 2487 (emphasis added); NFIB, 567
U.S. at 547–48 (Roberts, C.J).
e. Upsetting this balance “would destabilize the individual insurance
market” in the manner “Congress designed the Act to avoid.” King, 135
S. Ct. at 2493.
B.

The Individual Mandate and the Tax Penalty Are Inextricably
Intertwined—One Cannot Exist Without the Other under NFIB v.
Sebelius.
21.

In NFIB v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. 519 (2012), the constitutionality of the

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ACA was challenged by most of the Plaintiff States herein.
22.

As relevant here, the States argued that Section 5000A “exceeded

Congress’s powers under Article I of the Constitution.” Id. at 540 (Roberts, C.J.).
Specifically, the States argued that: (1) the Commerce Clause did not support the
individual mandate; (2) Congress’s tax power did not support the mandate; and (3) if
Section 5000A is unconstitutional, the Court must enjoin the entire ACA because it
is non-severable. See id. at 538–43 (Roberts, C.J.).
23.

A majority of the Supreme Court held (via the opinion of the Chief

Justice and the four-Justice dissenting opinion) that the individual mandate
exceeded Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause and the Necessary and
Proper Clause. Id. at 558–61 (Roberts, C.J.); id. at 657 (Dissenting Op.).
24.

A different majority (via the opinion of the Chief Justice and the four-

Justice concurring opinion) then held it was “fairly possible” to read the individual
mandate plus its tax penalty as a single, unified tax provision, and thus could be
supported under Congress’s tax power. Id. at 563 (Roberts, C.J.).
25.

Under this alternate tax interpretation, Section 5000A is no longer “a

legal command to buy insurance” backed up by a threat of paying a penalty that is
applicable to some, but not all, of those to whom the mandate applies; “[r]ather, it
makes going without insurance just another thing the Government taxes, like buying
gasoline or earning income.” Id. (Roberts, C.J.).
26.

“The essential feature” of the Court’s alternative tax holding is that the

tax penalty “produces at least some revenue for the Government.” Id. at 564 (Roberts,
C.J.) (citing Kahriger, 345 U.S. at 28 n.4) (emphasis added). “Indeed, the payment is
expected to raise about $4 billion per year by 2017.” Id. (Roberts, C.J.). Absent that
“essential feature,” the Court’s alternative interpretation was not “fairly possible”
under both the Constitution’s text and longstanding Supreme Court precedent.
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The NFIB dissent rejected this alternate reading. The dissent explained

that Section 5000A is “a mandate that individuals maintain minimum essential
coverage, [which is] enforced by a penalty.” Id. at 662 (Dissenting Op.) (emphasis
added). It is “a mandate to which a penalty is attached,” not “a simple tax.” Id. at 665
(Dissenting Op.).
28.

The dissent explained that the structure of Section 5000A supported the

mandate-attached-to-a-penalty-that-sometimes-applies

reading:

Section

5000A

mandates that individuals buy insurance in Subsection (a), and then in Subsection
(b) it imposes the penalty for failure to comply with Subsection (a). Id. at 663
(Dissenting Op.). Section 5000A exempts “some” people from the mandate, but not
the penalty—“those with religious objections,” who “participate in a health care
sharing ministry,” and “those who are not lawfully present in the United States.” Id.
at 665 (Dissenting Op.) (citations omitted). “If [Section] 5000A were [simply] a tax”
and “no[t] [a] requirement” to obtain health insurance, exempting anyone from the
mandate provision, but not the penalty provision, “would make no sense.” Id.
(Dissenting Op.).
29.

The Chief Justice agreed with the dissent’s primary conclusion (thereby

creating a majority) that the “most straightforward reading of” Section 5000A “is that
it commands individuals to purchase insurance.” Id. at 562 (Roberts, C.J.). “Congress
thought it could enact such a command under the Commerce Clause, and the
Government primarily defended the law on that basis.” Id. (Roberts, C.J.). The “most
natural interpretation of the mandate” is that it is a command backed up by a penalty,
not a tax. Id. at 563 (Roberts, C.J.).
C.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 Repealed The Tax Penalty, Leaving
Only the Unconstitutional Individual Mandate.
30.

On December 22, 2017, the President signed into law the Tax Cuts and

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Jobs Act of 2017. Among many other provisions, the new law amended Section 5000A.
Pub. L. No. 115-97, § 11081.
31.

This amendment reduces the operative parts of Section 5000A(c)’s tax

penalty formula to “Zero percent” and “$0.” Pub. L. No. 115-97, § 11081. This change
applies after December 31, 2018. Id. After the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017,
Section 5000A(a) still contains the individual mandate, requiring “[a]n applicable
individual” to “ensure that the individual . . . is covered under minimum essential
coverage,” but Section 5000A(b)’s tax “penalty” for an individual who “fails to meet
th[is] requirement” is now $0.
32.

The House Conference Report of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017

agreed. “Under the [ACA], individuals must be covered by a health plan that provides
at least minimum essential coverage or be subject to a tax (also referred to as a
penalty) for failure to maintain the coverage (commonly referred to as the ‘individual
mandate’).” H.R. Rep. No. 115-466, at 323 (2017). 4 “The Senate amendment reduces
the amount of the individual responsibility payment, enacted as part of the Affordable
Care Act, to zero.” Id. at 324. The Conference Report is silent about the individual
mandate itself.
33.

The CBO’s report on the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 explains that

the bill “eliminate[s]” the “individual mandate penalty . . . but [not] the mandate
itself.” CBO 2017 Report 1. The CBO added that “a small number of people who enroll
in insurance because of the mandate under current law would continue to do so [post
elimination of the individual mandate’s penalty] solely because of a willingness to
comply with the law.” Id.
34.

In the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Congress did not amend or repeal

the ACA’s legislative findings that the individual mandate is essential to the
4

See https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CRPT-115hrpt466/pdf/CRPT-115hrpt466.pdf.

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operation of the ACA.
35.

As the Supreme Court explained in NFIB, “the essential feature of any

tax” is that it “produces some revenue.” 567 U.S. at 564 (emphasis added).
36.

Section 5000A, as amended by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, now

“produces” no revenue (beginning Jan. 1, 2019). Accordingly, it is not possible to
interpret the individual mandate as part of a single unified tax provision.
37.

Instead, the “most natural interpretation of the mandate,” id. at 563

(Roberts, C.J.), is now the only interpretation possible: an unconstitutional command
from the federal government to individuals to purchase a product.
D.

The ACA, As Amended, Imposes Serious Injury and Irreparable Harm
Upon the States and Their Citizens.
38.

As Congress itself found, the ACA’s provisions only work rationally with

the individual mandate—a mandate now unconstitutional under NFIB.
39.

The unconstitutional individual mandate, along with the ACA itself,

significantly harms and impacts the States, as independent sovereigns, in various
ways:
a. Imposing a burdensome and unsustainable panoply of regulations on a
market that each State has the sovereign responsibility to regulate and
maintain within its own borders, to wit:
i. The ACA imposes a health insurance exchange in each State for
consumers to shop for health plans and access subsidies to help
pay for coverage. Under the ACA, States can choose between
three types of exchanges:
1. State-based exchange (adopted by 16 States, plus the
District of Columbia), including five federally-supported
exchanges, which rely on the Healthcare.gov technology

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platform;
2. State-partnership with a federally facilitated exchange
(adopted by six States), or
3. Federally-facilitated exchange (adopted by 28 States).
Defendant HHS established and imposed the exchange
infrastructure on the States and certifies at the federal
level that participating health plans meet the federal
requirements to sell plans on the exchange. The ACA does
not grant States statutory authority to enforce the ACA
and HHS maintains the authority to take enforcement
action. For States involved in the federally-facilitated
exchange, carriers must file plans with both the state
regulatory authority and CMS (Centers for Medicare and
Medicaid Services), even if they do not plan to participate
in the exchange. Whether they are sold on or off the federal
Marketplace, all individual and small group health
insurance plans must include the essential health benefits
package and comply with other federal requirements.
ii. The ACA also imposed myriad market reforms on the States,
including guaranteed issue, prohibition on preexisting condition
exclusions, and modified community ratings.
b. By forcing state, non-federal governmental officials and citizens to
comply with the mandates of the ACA, including the individual
mandate, and all of the ACA’s associated rules and regulations, instead
of state-based policy regarding health insurance, Plaintiffs are injured.
Sovereigns suffer injury when their duly enacted laws or policies are
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enjoined or impeded. See Alfred L. Snapp & Son, Inc. v. Puerto Rico, 458
U.S. 592, 601 (1982) (recognizing the interest of a sovereign in its “power
to create and enforce a legal code, both civil and criminal”); Alaska v.
U.S. Dep’t of Transp., 868 F.2d 441, 443 n.1 (D.C. Cir. 1989) (agreeing
that the State has standing to seek declaratory and injunctive relief
“because DOT claims that its rules preempt state consumer protection
statutes, [and therefore] the States have suffered injury to their
sovereign power to enforce state law”); Maryland v. King, 133 S. Ct. 1, 3
(2012) (citing New Motor Vehicle Bd. v. Orrin W. Fox Co., 434 U.S. 1345,
1351 (1977) (Rehnquist, J., in chambers) (“It also seems to me that any
time a State is enjoined by a court from effectuating statutes enacted by
representatives of its people, it suffers a form of irreparable injury.”));
Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas Surgical Health Servs. v. Abbott,
734 F.3d 406, 419 (5th Cir. 2013) (“When a statute is enjoined, the State
necessarily suffers the irreparable harm of denying the public interest
in the enforcement of its laws.”); Coalition for Econ. Equity v. Wilson,
122 F.3d 718, 719 (9th Cir. 1997); Illinois Dep’t of Transp. v. Hinson, 122
F.3d 370, 372 (7th Cir. 1997) (State has standing where it “complains
that a federal regulation will preempt one of the state’s laws.”).
c. The unconstitutional individual mandate, along with the ACA itself,
significantly harms and impacts the States by compelling them to take
corrective action, at great cost, to save their insurance markets, to wit:
i. On January 21, 2018, Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin called
on the Legislature to pass “a state-based reinsurance program”
for individuals purchasing insurance on the ACA’s exchanges,
which will “stabilize[ ]” the market after “insurers exit[ ] [and]
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shock rate increases.” Governor Scott Walker, Press Release,
Governor Walker Proposes Health Care Stability Plan to
Stabilize Premiums for Wisconsinites on Obamacare (Jan. 21,
2018). 5 This proposal would cost $200 million, split between State
and federal funds. Governor Scott Walker, Memo Accompanying
Jan. 21, 2018 Press Release. 6 The Wisconsin Legislature passed
a

reinsurance

program

in

February

2018. 7

Wisconsin’s

reinsurance program is necessary because the ACA’s regulations
of the individual market causes health-insurance premiums to
rise substantially. Without Wisconsin’s intervention, plans in the
individual market would either not be offered, or would be
prohibitively expensive.
ii. Wisconsin’s

Insurance

Commissioner,

like

the

insurance

commissioners of all States, will need to take other corrective
actions to protect Wisconsin citizens from the ACA’s irrational
regime.
iii. While the Texas Legislature did not adopt most ACA
requirements into Texas law, the Texas Department of Insurance
(“TDI”) monitors the impact of the ACA on the Texas insurance
market and takes action, when warranted, to protect consumers
and minimize market disruptions. For example, TDI developed
navigator rules to address insufficient federal standards for
navigators, 28 TAC §§ 19.4001–19.4017, and the ACA-forced
See
https://walker.wi.gov/press-releases/governor-walker-proposes-health-care-stability-planstabilize-premiums-wisconsinites.
6
See
https://jwyjh41vxje2rqecx3efy4kf-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/
180120Overview.pdf.
7 See Wisconsin State Legislature, Senate Bill 770, https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/2017/proposals/reg/
sen/bill/sb770.
5

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dissolution of the Texas Health Insurance Pool caused insurance
coverage disruptions given the difficulties with the federal health
exchange rollout, requiring TDI to issue an emergency rule
extending

existing insurance

coverage

for Texas Health

Insurance Pool enrollees.
iv. Moreover, like other States, many health insurers have
withdrawn from Texas due to unsustainable rising costs. Some
federally designated regions of Texas have only one insurance
carrier offering healthcare plans. Texas residents and employers,
including Texas itself as an employer, suffer as a result of this
lack of choice and higher costs.
v. Likewise, the ACA has wrought havoc on the health insurance
market in Nebraska. In 2017, two insurers exited Nebraska’s
individual market, leaving only a single insurer remaining. Aetna
announced its withdrawal from Nebraska’s individual market in
May 2017, citing an expected loss of $200 million for 2017 in the
four states Aetna sold individual coverage. In June 2017, Blue
Cross and Blue Shield of Nebraska also announced its withdrawal
from Nebraska’s individual market, citing an expected loss of $12
million for 2017, in addition to the approximately $150 million
loss the company experienced in Nebraska from 2014 to 2016. In
the wake of these companies’ departures, only a single insurer,
Medica, is left in Nebraska’s individual market. Nebraskans are
left to hope Medica—which itself raised premiums in plan year
2017 by an average of nearly 31 percent—remains in the market
for 2019.
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vi. In Missouri, the Interim Committee on Stabilizing Missouri’s
Health Insurance Markets, a bi-partisan committee of the
Missouri House, was formed to work on solving the rising
instability plaguing the Missouri insurance markets as a result of
the ACA. The committee voted unanimously to create the
“Missouri Reinsurance Plan,” and legislation to establish the
Missouri Reinsurance Plan, introduced on February 22, 2018.
H.B. 2539, 99th General Assembly (Mo. 2018). 8
vii. Governor Otter of Idaho recently issued an Executive Order to the
Idaho Department of Insurance to “approve [health-insurance
plans] that follow all State-based requirements, even if not all
[ACA] requirements are met.” Office of Governor C.L. “Butch”
Otter, Executive Order No. 2018-02 (Jan. 5, 2018). 9 The Idaho
Department of Insurance has issued a bulletin implementing this
order. Idaho Dep’t of Ins., Bulletin No. 18-01 (Jan. 24, 2018). 10
viii. Maryland began investigating the enactment of its own statelevel individual mandate to replace the amended ACA individual
mandate. 11
ix. Other States will need to take similar corrective measures to
address the ACA’s irrational regime.
40.

The unconstitutional individual mandate, along with the ACA itself,

significantly harms and impacts the States as Medicaid and CHIP providers:
See https://www.house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills181/hlrbillspdf/5903H.01I.pdf.
See https://gov.idaho.gov/mediacenter/execorders/eo2018/EO%202018-02.pdf.
10 See https://doi.idaho.gov/DisplayPDF?Id=4712.
11 See Josh Hicks, With Obama’s Federal Mandate Disappearing, Md. Democrats Push ‘Down Payment’
Plan, Wash. Post (Jan. 9, 2018), https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md-politics/md-democratspush-insurance-down-payment-plan-to-replace-federal-mandate/2018/01/09/bc0afbb0-f4f4-11e7-beb6c8d48830c54d_story.html?utm_term=.789a454ab8bf.
8
9

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a. The United States Congress created the Medicaid program in 1965. See
Social Security Amendments of 1965, Pub. L. No. 89-97, 79 Stat. 286
(1965). Medicaid is jointly funded by the United States and the States
to provide healthcare to individuals with insufficient income and
resources. See generally 42 U.S.C. §§ 1396-1396w. To participate in
Medicaid, States must provide coverage to a federally-mandated
category of individuals and according to a federally-approved State plan.
See 42 U.S.C. § 1396a; 42 C.F.R. §§ 430.10–430.12. All 50 States
participate in the Medicaid program. 12
b. The United States Congress created the Children’s Health Insurance
Program (“CHIP”) in 1997. See Balanced Budget Act of 1997, Pub. L. No.
105-33, Title IV, Subtitle J, 111 Stat. 251 (Aug. 5, 1997). The federal
government and the States jointly fund CHIP to provide healthcare for
uninsured children that do not qualify for Medicaid. See 42 U.S.C.
§ 1397aa. CHIP covers children in families who have too much income
to qualify for Medicaid, but cannot afford to buy private insurance. CHIP
provides basic primary health care services to children, as well as other
medically necessary services, including dental care. All States now
participate in CHIP since its creation in 1997.
c. Because Medicaid and CHIP are entitlement programs, States cannot
limit the number of eligible people who can enroll, and Medicaid and
CHIP must pay for all services covered under the program. Providing
health care to individuals with insufficient income or resources through
the Medicaid or CHIP programs is a significant function of state
Federal Financial Participation in State Assistance Expenditures; Federal Matching Shares for
Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program, and Aid to Needy Aged, Blind, or Disabled
Persons for October 1, 2014 through September 30, 2015, 79 Fed. Reg. 3385 (Jan. 21, 2014).
12

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government.
d. One avenue for individuals to comply with Section 5000A’s individual
mandate

is

to

apply

for

Medicaid

or

CHIP.

26

U.S.C.

§ 5000A(f)(1)(A)(iii). Thus, because of the individual mandate and the
ACA, many individuals became eligible for Medicaid, or may have been
previously eligible but opted not to enroll. Either way, the individual
mandate requires millions more to enroll in Medicaid, imposing
additional costs on the States. This reality does not represent
“unfettered choices made by independent [state] actors,” ASARCO Inc.
v. Kadish, 490 U.S. 605, 615 (1989), but is rather a direct consequence
of the individual mandate and the ACA, leaving Medicaid as the only
option through which numerous individuals may comply.
e. As the CBO explained before both the enactment of ACA and the
enactment of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, at least some
individuals will obtain health insurance because of the mandate, even
absent any tax penalty. See CBO 2017 Report 1.
f. The mandate forcing more individuals onto Medicaid or CHIP causes
significant monetary injuries to the States, because these programs
obligate the States to share the expenses of coverage with the federal
government.
41.

Pursuant to 26 U.S.C. § 4980H, the ACA harms the States as large

employers:
a. The ACA requires States, as large employers, to offer their employees
health-insurance plans with minimum essential benefits defined solely
by the Federal Government.
b. If a State wished to pursue other health-insurance policies for its
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employees, perhaps by offering insurance with a different assortment of
coverage benefits, the Federal Government will tax or penalize the
State. 26 U.S.C. § 4980H.
c. The ACA imposes a 40% “[e]xcise tax” on “high cost employer-sponsored
health coverage.” 26 U.S.C. § 4980I. As an employer, Wisconsin must do
“considerable work” restructuring its health-insurance offerings to avoid
this costly measure. 13 This work “may have a significant effect on future
plan design and maximum benefit limitations.” 14
d. Because of the costs of the ACA, a major Wisconsin health insurer,
Assurant Health, ceased its Wisconsin operations. 15 This cost Wisconsin
approximately 1,200 jobs. 16
e. The ACA resulted in the repeal of Wisconsin’s high-risk pool, the Health
Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan, which effectively managed the healthinsurance needs of high-risk individuals before the full implementation
of the ACA. Wis. Stat. §§ 149.10–.53 (2011–12) (statutory framework for
Wisconsin Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan), repealed by 2013 Wis.
Act 20, § 1900n; see generally Wis. Legislative Audit Bureau, Report 147 Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan Authority at p.1 (June 2014)
(describing history of Wisconsin’s HIRSP, including dissolution and
repeal).
f. If state employees obtain subsidized insurance from an exchange
instead of from a state plan, the Federal Government will tax or penalize
Segal Consulting, Second Report—Observations and Recommendations for 2017 and Beyond,
prepared for Wisconsin Group Insurance Board Department of Employee Trust Funds, at p. 141 (Nov.
17, 2015), http://etf.wi.gov/boards/agenda-items-2015/gib1117/item3ar.pdf.
14 Id. at 142.
15 See Guy Boulton, Milwaukee-Based Assurant Health To Be Sold Of Or Shut Down, Milwaukee
Journal Sentinel (Apr. 28, 2015), http://archive.jsonline.com/business/assurant-considering-sale-ofmilwaukee-based-assurant-health-b99490422z1-301614251.html.
16 Id.
13

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the State.
g. More employees will join state-sponsored plans because of the mandate,
imposing additional costs upon the States. See CBO 2017 Report 1. In
Texas, for example, from FY13–FY17, the Texas Group Benefits
Program, administered by the Employees Retirement System of Texas,
spent $487 million on ACA-related costs. 2016 Group Benefits Program
Comprehensive Annual Report, Employees Retirement System of Texas
(Feb. 2017). 17
h. Nebraska, for example, has borne significant new costs at the behest of
the ACA. Nebraska, like other States, must offer non-full time
employees (i.e., employees working 30–39 hours per week) health
insurance plans with premiums identical to those offered to full time
employees.
i. In Missouri, revenue is drained by faster-than-projected growth in
health care expenditures, driven in part by the impact of the ACA.
Accordingly, Governor Greitens’s budget for Fiscal Year 2018 includes
more than $572 million in cuts across Missouri state government and
reduces the State’s workforce by 188 positions. Mo. Office of Admin.,
Summary, The Missouri Budget, (2018). 18 For Fiscal Year 2019, the
problems continue. “Health care costs paid by the government continue
to skyrocket. Obamacare has still not been repealed, and the cost of
health care continues to rise. Taxpayers pay more and more for
government health care every year with little or no improvement in

17
See
https://ers.texas.gov/About-ERS/Reports-and-Studies/Reports-and-Studies-on-ERSadministered-Benefit-Programs/FY16-GBP-Comprehensive-Annual-Report.pdf.
18 See https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/FY_2018_Budget_Summary_Abridged.pdf.

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results.” Mo. Office of Admin., Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Priorities, The
Missouri Budget. 19
In South Dakota, the estimated cost impact of the ACA upon the South
Dakota State Employee Benefits Program for FY 2015–2018 is as
follows: $10,400 for the review of denied appeals; $19,140,252 for the
elimination of the lifetime maximum; $4,575,200 for the expanded
preventive services paid only by the plan; $3,202,942 for the
Transitional Reinsurance Program fee (fee imposed on self-funded
plans); $172,141 for the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute
fee (fee imposed on self-funded plans); $1,514,205 for the expanded
health plan eligibility for part-time employees who did not meet the preACA eligibility definition; $100,000 for the Form 1095-C administration.
To date, South Dakota is unable to accurately estimate the cost of the
pre-existing conditions exclusion or the expanded eligibility for adult
dependent children to age 26, though upon information and belief, those
qualifiers have increased the costs for South Dakota’s taxpayers.
42.

Under the ACA health insurance plans available to Individual Plaintiffs

Hurley and Nantz, Individual Plaintiffs pay dramatically more than prior to the ACA,
have lost access to the doctors and health care providers of their choice, and are
unable to purchase a health insurance plan that meets their needs and preferences.
43.

The ACA injures Individual Plaintiffs Hurley and Nantz by mandating

that they purchase minimum essential health insurance coverage despite the
Supreme Court’s determination that the requirement is unconstitutional. Despite the

19

See https://oa.mo.gov/sites/default/files/FY_2019_Budget_Summary.pdf.

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reduction of the individual mandate penalty to $0.00 under the Tax Cuts and Jobs
Act, Individual Plaintiffs have an obligation to comply with the individual mandate
under

the

ACA

while

it

remains

federal

law,

despite

the

provision’s

unconstitutionality.
44.

The ACA further injures the Individual Plaintiffs by establishing a

health-care insurance regulatory system that prevents the Individual Plaintiffs from
purchasing health insurance under a free-market system that would allow them to
have lower premiums, choice in provider, and options for health insurance plans.
45.

The ACA further injures the Individual Plaintiffs by requiring them to

divert resources from their businesses in order to obtain qualifying health insurance
coverage, regardless of their judgment as to whether maintaining such coverage is a
worthwhile cost of doing business, thereby harming their abilities to maintain their
own businesses.
46.

In the absence of the ACA, the Individual Plaintiffs would purchase a

health-insurance plan different from the ACA-compliant plans that they are
currently required to purchase were they afforded the option without the ACA.
47.

Each of the injuries to Individual Plaintiffs is caused by the Defendants’

continued enforcement of the Affordable Care Act, and each of these injuries will be
redressed by a declaratory judgment from this Court pronouncing the Affordable Care
Act unconstitutional.

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IV. CLAIMS FOR RELIEF
COUNT ONE
Declaratory Judgment That the Individual Mandate of the ACA Exceeds
Congress’s Article I Constitutional Enumerated Powers
48.

Plaintiffs incorporate the allegations contained in paragraphs 1

through 47 as if fully set forth herein.
49.

Section 5000A’s individual mandate exceeds Congress’s enumerated

powers by forcing Individual Plaintiffs to maintain ACA-compliant health insurance
coverage. Congress lacks the authority under the Commerce Clause and Necessary
and Proper Clause to command individuals to purchase health insurance, and the
individual mandate cannot be upheld under any other provision of the Constitution.
50.

As a majority of the Supreme Court concluded, the “most

straightforward reading of” Section 5000A “is that it commands individuals to
purchase insurance.” NFIB, 567 U.S. at 562–63 (Roberts, C.J.); id. at 663–65
(Dissenting Op.). Thus, Congress lacks authority under the Commerce Clause and
Necessary and Proper Clause to command individuals to purchase health insurance.
51.

In NFIB, a different majority of the Supreme Court saved Section

5000A from unconstitutionality by interpreting it not as a mandate enforced by a
separate tax penalty, but by combining the mandate with the tax penalty and treating
those provisions as a single tax on individuals who chose to go without insurance. 567
U.S. at 563 (Roberts, C.J.).
52.

The Constitution grants to Congress the “Power to lay and collect

Taxes . . . to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare
of the United States.” U.S. Const. art. I, § 8, cl. 1.
53.

A provision that raises no revenue is not a tax because it does nothing

to “pay the Debts” or “provide for the common Defense and general Welfare of the

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United States.” Indeed, “the essential feature of any tax” is the “produc[tion] [of] at
least some revenue for the Government.” NFIB, 567 U.S. at 564–65, 574.
54.

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 reduced Section 5000A’s tax

penalty to $0. Pub. L. No. 115-97, § 11081. Accordingly, Section 5000A no longer
possesses “the essential feature of any tax”; it no longer “produces at least some
revenue for the Government.”
55.

Therefore, after Congress amended Section 5000A, it is no longer

possible to interpret this statute as a tax enacted pursuant to a valid exercise of
Congress’s constitutional power to tax. Rather, the only reading available is the most
natural one; Section 5000A contains a stand-alone legal mandate.
56.

No other provision of the Constitution supports Congress’s claimed

authority to enact Section 5000A’s individual mandate. Accordingly, Section 5000A’s
individual mandate is unconstitutional.
57.

The remainder of the ACA is non-severable from the individual

mandate, meaning that the Act must be invalidated in whole.
58.

Alternatively, and at the very minimum, as even the Obama

Administration conceded in its briefing in NFIB, the guaranteed-issue and
community-rating provisions are non-severable from the mandate and must be
invalidated along with the individual mandate.
59.

Because of Defendants’ actions, Plaintiffs have suffered, and

continue to suffer, irreparable injury.
60.

Plaintiffs are entitled to a declaration that the individual mandate of

the ACA exceeds Congress’s Article I constitutionally enumerated powers. Plaintiffs
also are entitled to a permanent injunction against Defendants from implementing,
regulating, or otherwise enforcing any part of the ACA because its requirements are
unlawful and not severable from the unconstitutional individual mandate.
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COUNT TWO
Declaratory Judgment That the ACA Violates the Due Process Clause of
the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution
61.

Plaintiffs incorporate the allegations contained in paragraphs 1

through 60 as if fully set forth herein.
62.

The Due Process Clause of the Fifth Amendment provides “nor shall

any person . . . be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”
U.S. Const. amend. V.
63.

The Fifth Amendment contains an “implicit” “equal protection

principle” binding the federal Government. Sessions v. Morales-Santana, 137 S. Ct.
1678, 1686 (2017).
64.

Legislation that imposes irrational requirements violates the Due

Process Clause.
65.

Given that Section 5000A’s individual mandate is unconstitutional,

the rest of the ACA is irrational under Congress’s own findings.
66.

The ACA lacks a rational basis now that the individual mandate’s

tax penalty has been repealed.
67.

Section 18091(2)(I), the chief legislative finding in the ACA, explains

that “[t]he requirement [to buy health insurance] is essential to creating effective
health insurance markets in which improved health insurance products that are
guaranteed issue and do not exclude coverage of pre-existing conditions can be sold.”
42 U.S.C. § 18091(2)(I).
68.

Given that the ACA’s “essential” feature—the individual mandate—

is unconstitutional, the law now imposes irrational requirements, in violation of the
Due Process Clause.
69.

Because of Defendants’ actions, Plaintiffs have suffered, and

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continue to suffer, irreparable injury.
70.

Plaintiffs are entitled to a declaration that the ACA violates the Due

Process Clause to the Fifth Amendment. Plaintiffs also are entitled to a permanent
injunction against Defendants from implementing, regulating, or otherwise enforcing
any part of the ACA because its requirements are unlawful and not severable from
the unconstitutional individual mandate.
COUNT THREE
Declaratory Judgment That the ACA Violates the Tenth Amendment to the
United States Constitution
71.

Plaintiffs incorporate the allegations contained in paragraphs 1

through 70 as if fully set forth herein.
72.

The Tenth Amendment provides: “The powers not delegated to the

United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to
the States respectively, or to the people.” U.S. Const. amend. X.
73.

Legislation that is irrational is outside the powers delegated to the

United States by the Constitution.
74.

Under Congress’s own findings, the ACA lacks a rational basis now

that the individual mandate’s tax penalty has been repealed and the individual
mandate is unconstitutional. See supra ¶¶ 53–62.
75.

The ACA is therefore not within the powers delegated to the United

States.
76.

Because of Defendants’ actions, Plaintiffs have suffered, and

continue to suffer, irreparable injury.
77.

Plaintiffs are entitled to a declaration that the ACA violates the

Tenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Plaintiffs also are entitled to a
permanent injunction against Defendants from implementing, regulating, or

Amended Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief

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otherwise enforcing any part of the ACA because its requirements are unlawful and
not severable from the unconstitutional individual mandate.
COUNT FOUR
Declaratory Judgment Under 5 U.S.C. § 706 that Agency Rules
Promulgated Pursuant to the ACA Are Unlawful
78.

Plaintiffs incorporate the allegations contained in paragraphs 1

through 77 as if fully set forth herein.
79.

The Administrative Procedure Act requires the Court to hold

unlawful and set aside any agency action that is, among other things, (a) arbitrary,
capricious, an abuse of discretion, or otherwise not in accordance with law; (b)
contrary to constitutional right, power, privilege, or immunity; and (c) in excess of
statutory jurisdiction, authority, or limitations, or short of statutory right. 5 U.S.C.
§ 706(2).
80.

The Department and Service are both “agenc[ies]” under the

Administrative Procedures Act, 5 U.S.C. § 551(1), and the regulations and rules
promulgated pursuant to the ACA are “rules” under the Administrative Procedures
Act, 5 U.S.C. § 551(4).
81.

Because the ACA exceeds Congress’s Article I Constitutional

enumerated powers and violates the Fifth and Tenth Amendments to the
Constitution for the reasons described in prior paragraphs, all regulations
promulgated pursuant to, implementing, or enforcing, the ACA are arbitrary and
capricious, contrary to law, and in excess of agency authority.
82.

Because of Defendants’ actions, Plaintiffs have suffered, and

continue to suffer, irreparable injury.
83.

Plaintiffs are entitled to a declaration that regulations promulgated

pursuant to, implementing, or enforcing the ACA violates the Administrative

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Procedure Act. Plaintiffs also are entitled to a permanent injunction against
Defendants from implementing, regulating, or otherwise enforcing any part of the
ACA because its requirements are unlawful and not severable from the
unconstitutional individual mandate.
COUNT FIVE
Injunctive Relief Against Federal Officials from Implementing, Regulating,
or Otherwise Enforcing the ACA
84.

Plaintiffs incorporate the allegations contained in paragraphs 1

through 83 as if fully set forth herein.
85.

Plaintiffs are entitled to a permanent injunction against Defendants

from implementing, regulating, or otherwise enforcing any part of the ACA because
its requirements are unlawful and not severable from the unconstitutional individual
mandate.
V. PRAYER FOR RELIEF
Plaintiffs respectfully request that the Court:
A.

Declare the ACA, as amended by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, to
be unconstitutional either in part or in whole.

B.

Declare unlawful any and all rules or regulations promulgated pursuant
to, implementing, regulating, or otherwise enforcing the ACA.

C.

Enjoin,

preliminarily

and

permanently,

Defendants

and

their

employees, agents, successors, or any other person acting in concert with
them, from implementing, regulating, enforcing, or otherwise acting
under the authority of the ACA.
D.

Award Plaintiffs their reasonable costs, including attorneys’ fees.

E.

Grant Plaintiffs any and all such other and further relief to which they
are justly entitled at law and in equity.

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Respectfully submitted this the 23rd day of April, 2018,
BRAD SCHIMEL
Attorney General of Wisconsin
STEVE MARSHALL
Attorney General of Alabama
LESLIE RUTLEDGE
Attorney General of Arkansas
MARK BRNOVICH
Attorney General of Arizona
PAM BONDI
Attorney General of Florida
CHRISTOPHER CARR
Attorney General of Georgia
CURTIS HILL
Attorney General of Indiana
DEREK SCHMIDT
Attorney General of Kansas
JEFF LANDRY
Attorney General of Louisiana
JOSH HAWLEY
Attorney General of Missouri
DOUG PETERSON
Attorney General of Nebraska
WAYNE STENEHJEM
Attorney General of North Dakota
ALAN WILSON
Attorney General of South Carolina
MARTY JACKLEY
Attorney General of South Dakota
HERBERT SLATERY, III
Attorney General of Tennessee
SEAN REYES
Attorney General of Utah
PATRICK MORRISEY
Attorney General of West Virginia

KEN PAXTON
Attorney General of Texas
JEFFREY C. MATEER
First Assistant Attorney General
BRANTLEY D. STARR
Deputy First Assistant Attorney General
JAMES E. DAVIS
Deputy Attorney General for Civil
Litigation
/s/ Darren McCarty
DARREN McCARTY
Special Counsel for Civil Litigation
Texas Bar No. 24007631
[e-mail]
AUSTIN R. NIMOCKS
Special Counsel for Civil Litigation
Attorney General of Texas
P.O. Box 12548, Mail Code 001
Austin, Texas 78711-2548
Tel: [phone]
ATTORNEYS FOR PLAINTIFF-STATES

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JONATHAN MITCHELL
Texas Bar No. 24075463
[e-mail]
/s/ Robert Henneke
ROBERT HENNEKE
Texas Bar No. 24046058
[e-mail]
TEXAS PUBLIC POLICY FOUNDATION
901 Congress Avenue
Austin, Texas 78701
[phone] (p)
[phone]
Attorneys for Individual-Plaintiffs
CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I certify that the foregoing document was electronically filed with the Clerk of
Court using the CM/ECF system, which will send notification of such filing to all
counsel of record registered as CM/ECF users, and by email to the following:
Eric B. Beckenhauer
U.S. Department of Justice
Civil Division, Federal Programs Branch
[e-mail]
/s/Darren McCarty
DARREN MCCARTY
CERTIFICATE OF CONFERENCE
I certify that I conferred with counsel for Defendants, who consent to the filing
of this Amended Complaint under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15(a)(2).
/s/Darren McCarty
DARREN MCCARTY

Amended Complaint for Declaratory and Injunctive Relief

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