--- title: U.S. Judge Tosses Out GOP Lawsuit Over Obamacare Subsidy description: A U.S. Senator's claim against an Obamacare subsidy for members of Congress and their staffs was dismissed Monday canonical: https://time.com/3018243/gop-lawsuit-obamacare-loophole-congress/ author: Sam Frizell article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-07-22T12:57:17.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:05:35.753Z article:section: Politics og:title: U.S. Judge Tosses Out GOP Lawsuit Over Obamacare Subsidy og:description: A U.S. Senator's claim against an Obamacare subsidy for members of Congress and their staffs was dismissed Monday og:url: https://time.com/3018243/gop-lawsuit-obamacare-loophole-congress/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc6b101ec24cf208d/69869c99adae44fd955443ce/senator-ron-johnson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 4000 og:image:height: 2250 og:image:alt: Permanent Subcommittee On Investigations Hearing On High Speed Trading og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: U.S. Judge Tosses Out GOP Lawsuit Over Obamacare Subsidy twitter:description: A U.S. Senator's claim against an Obamacare subsidy for members of Congress and their staffs was dismissed Monday twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltc6b101ec24cf208d/69869c99adae44fd955443ce/senator-ron-johnson.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # GOP Lawsuit Over Obamacare 'Loophole' for Congress Dismissed > Sponsored content. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, three times a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ## Video: Health Care Cost Increases Expected To Accelerate In 2015 [Watch (HLS stream): Health Care Cost Increases Expected To Accelerate In 2015](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KYT0EBCl.m3u8) (1:34)  _Published 2014-06-25. Health care costs are expected to pick up in 2015 — increasing even faster than they did this year, according to a new study by PricewaterhouseCoopers._ by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jul 22, 2014 12:57 PM UTC  Senator Ronald Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, questions witnesses during a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing in Washington, D.C. on June 17, 2014. Senator Ronald Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, questions witnesses during a Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations hearing in Washington, D.C. on June 17, 2014. Andrew Harrer—Bloomberg/Getty Images by [Sam Frizell](https://time.com/author/sam-frizell/) ## Sam Frizell Jul 22, 2014 12:57 PM UTC A Republican senator’s challenge to the part of President Barack Obama’s healthcare law involving members of Congress and their staffs was dismissed Monday by a federal judge. Sen. Ron Johnson (R—Wisc.) filed the suit related to the Affordable Care Act (ACA) provision that members of Congress and their staff may only receive health plans created under the healthcare law, or offered through a online exchange established under the law. The lawsuit claimed that the federal Office of Personnel Management “created a loophole that allowed congressional staff an exemption from the ACA’s provisions,” according to the [decision](http://media.jrn.com/documents/ron+johnson+case+dismissed.pdf). The so-called loophole allowed some junior staffers not considered part of the official office of a member of Congress to continue receiving employee benefits, rather than having to buy insurance under the law. “The Obama administration violated its own signature health care law by giving special treatment to members of Congress and their staffs,” [Johnson said in a statement](http://www.ronjohnson.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=5d89ae19-ddf1-491b-81a5-ebcadfea4cef) Monday. U.S. District Judge William Griesbach [dismissed](http://media.jrn.com/documents/ron+johnson+case+dismissed.pdf) the lawsuit on Monday. Griesbach said Senator Johnson failed to show he’d been harmed by the healthcare law, Reuters [reports](http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/07/22/us-usa-healthcare-lawsuit-idUSKBN0FR0WB20140722). The U.S. Supreme Court affirmed in 2012 the law’s “individual mandate” that requires most Americans to buy health insurance or pay a tax penalty. ## Transcript Healthcare costs are expected to pick up in 2015. Increasing even faster than they did this year according to a new study by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Costs will increase by 6. 8 % in 2015 compared to 6. 5 % last year. Now that's not much of an increase, but over the last few years, it's actually been coming down. You can blame the stronger economy. Healthier individual budgets mean consumers are more willing to spend money on healthcare, elective and otherwise. The study also cites drug development as an expensive short- term inflator. And hospitals getting in- house physicians who's services command higher rates. But it's not all bad news. The firm says some of these costs will be mitigated by the systematization of hospitals and other healthcare providers. This is the standardization of medical procedures. An elimination of unnecessary administrative measures. People also took advantage of the Obama administration's healthcare marketplace this year. Comparison shopping for health insurance, to find the best deals they could. The involvement deadline was March 31, but some people still qualify for special enrollment periods. And open enrollment for next year, will begin in November 2014. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to save money on healthcare that aren't time restricted. The Atlanta General Constitution's list of tips includes nobrainers like avoiding the emergency room if you can help it. And checking over medical billing, to make sure you've been accurately charged for services. You could also save money by scheduling any procedures that require hospital stays for earlier in the day, to minimize your chances of having to stay overnight. Thanks for watching. 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