Attorney General Bonta Continues Fight to Protect Affordable Care Act Coverage

OAKLAND - Co-leading a coalition of 21 attorneys general and the Governor of Pennsylvania, California Attorney General Rob Bonta filed an amicus brief in City of Columbus v. Kennedy, a case before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, in support of a ruling by the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland blocking key provisions of an unlawful final rule proposed by the Trump Administration in March 2025 and issued in June 2025. The rule would make it harder for consumers to enroll in and maintain health coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), increase healthcare costs, and leave more people uninsured.

"While the Trump Administration takes actions that make healthcare less affordable and accessible, California will keep fighting to protect the Affordable Care Act and the coverage it provides," said Attorney General Bonta. "As we make clear in our amicus brief, the fallout from this rule would extend well beyond individual consumers, leaving states and communities nationwide to shoulder significant costs."

In the amicus brief, Attorney General Bonta and the coalition argue that allowing the rule to take effect would:

• Impose significant compliance costs on states.
• Reduce funding for state health insurance exchanges as fewer people enroll in coverage. States collect a fee for each plan sold through these exchanges.
• Drive up uncompensated care costs as the uninsured population grows.
• Cause immediate and substantial harms that would extend beyond the parties in the case to affect states across the country.

The plaintiffs in City of Columbus v. Kennedy secured a major victory in June 2026, when the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland ruled in their favor and blocked key provisions of the rule. California secured a separate major victory in August 2026, when the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts struck down a provision that would have excluded certain types of gender-affirming care from qualifying as essential health benefits under the ACA.

The amicus brief was co-led by Attorney General Bonta and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. Joining them were the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington, and the Governor of Pennsylvania.

Here is a copy of the brief.