A federal judge in New Jersey has thrown out a challenge to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, reports Bloomberg News.
U.S. District Judge Freda Wilson ruled last week that Donald R. Laster, Jr. and Nicholas Purpura did not have standing to challenge the healthcare reform law. Both men had sued the federal government on a pro se basis, acting as their own attorneys.
Purpura, who is in his late 60s, had claimed healthcare reform would prompt him to lose coverage from Medicare Advantage. Laster, who is physically disabled, claimed he would have to pay higher taxes for his medical devices and not be able to obtain specific drugs.
Wolfson wrote that "these allegations fail to establish plaintiffs' standing to challenge any of the provisions of the act," and that "few, if any, facts demonstrating the effect that the act has on them currently... or will in the future."
Twenty-five states have sued to stop the implementation of healthcare reform, and a federal appeals court in Georgia has fast-tracked that litigation.
For more:
- read the Bloomberg News article
- read the Businessweek article