18 states, including Mass., file motion challenging ruling striking down Affordable Care Act

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and her counterparts in 17 other states filed a motion Monday challenging a Texas federal judge’s ruling last week that struck down the Affordable Care Act.

The motion, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Texas, asks the court to clarify the impact of the ruling and confirm that the ACA “is still the law of the land,” Healey’s office said in a statement.

Judge Reed O’Connor of the US District Court in Fort Worth struck down the law on Friday, ruling that its mandate requiring people to buy health insurance is unconstitutional. He also ruled the law’s other provisions, including protections for patients with preexisting conditions, are invalid, according to a New York Times report. The ruling is expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court.