Texas' effort to gut Obamacare would have 'a devastating impact,' health groups say

A collection of 17 states, healthcare groups, and experts are making a last-minute plea to a federal judge to throw out a lawsuit that would eliminate Obamacare’s protections for people with pre-existing conditions, warning that wiping out the protections would have a “devastating impact” on the healthcare system.

Major healthcare groups and mostly blue states on Thursday filed “friend of the court” briefs to argue against a lawsuit from Texas and several other states that says the healthcare law is unconstitutional. The deadline to file the briefs is midnight Thursday, and groups are hoping to persuade a judge not to side with Texas because it could invalidate Obamacare and wreak havoc on patient care.