‘Obamacare’ mandate: hot for lawyers, ho-hum to consumers

WASHINGTON (AP) — The repeal of an unpopular fine for people without health insurance has had little impact on “Obamacare” sign-ups or premiums. It’s a gap between the real world and legal arguments from conservatives again challenging the 10-year-old Affordable Care Act. The law has proved more resilient than its creators or detractors imagined, even as the Supreme Court considers whether to take up the latest effort to roll it back. The demise last year of the penalty for not being insured had little effect on the law’s health insurance markets, as measured by a recent independent study of premiums and insurer earnings. Government data show enrollment for 2020 is basically stable.