US Supreme Court upholds affordable healthcare law

The US Supreme Court has upheld the law which aims to provide affordable health insurance for all Americans, dismissing a legal challenge from Texas and 17 other Republican-governed states.

This is the third time since 2010 that the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the signature policy of former president Barack Obama, has survived a challenge.

It bans insurers from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.

The law gave millions of low-income Americans access to medical insurance.

The justices ruled by a 7-2 majority that the challengers had no legal standing to file their case. The ruling did not touch on whether a key provision in the law was unconstitutional.

The legal challenge was backed by former President Donald Trump, who promised to have the act repealed when he was elected in 2016.

Republicans tried and failed to overturn the law in Congress, when they controlled both houses, and in the courts on numerous occasions.