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Some Obamacare Funding Deemed Illegal by D.C. Federal Judge

  • Legislators claim spending totals $175 billion over decade
  • Judge derides administration’s defense as unpersuasive
Maria Elena Santa Coloma (right), an insurance adviser with UniVista Insurance company, helps Shessy Gonzalez sign up for a health plan under the Affordable Care Act on Dec. 15, 2015, in Miami.

Maria Elena Santa Coloma (right), an insurance adviser with UniVista Insurance company, helps Shessy Gonzalez sign up for a health plan under the Affordable Care Act on Dec. 15, 2015, in Miami.

Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
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President Barack Obama’s signature health-care law was dealt another blow as a federal judge ruled a key program intended to reduce consumers’ out-of-pocket medical bills is unconstitutional because it relies on money that hasn’t been appropriated by Congress.

The ruling on Thursday was a victory for the Republican-led House of Representatives, which challenged the provision in 2014 and defeated an Obama administration bid to dismiss the lawsuit last year.