President Joe Biden on Thursday ordered government health insurance markets to reopen for a special sign-up window, offering uninsured Americans a haven as the spread of COVID-19 remains dangerously high and vaccines aren't yet widely available.

Fulfilling a campaign promise, President Joe Biden plans to reopen the HealthCare.gov insurance markets for a special sign-up opportunity geared to people needing coverage in the coronavirus pandemic.

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled broadly Wednesday in favor of the religious rights of employers in two cases that could leave more than 70,000 women without free contraception and tens of thousands of people with no way to sue for job discrimination.

WASHINGTON – The Trump administration asked the Supreme Court on Thursday to strike down the Affordable Care Act, escalating a long-running battle over former President Barack Obama’s signature health care law that could cause millions of Americans to lose their health insurance.

The Supreme Court seems concerned about the sweep of Trump administration rules that would allow more employers who cite a religious or moral objection to opt out of providing no-cost birth control to women.

COVID-19 could have stamped someone “uninsurable” if not for the Affordable Care Act.

The Trump administration’s unrelenting opposition to “Obamacare” could become an obstacle for millions of uninsured people in the coronavirus outbreak, as well as many who are losing coverage in the economic shutdown.

The Supreme Court agreed on Monday to decide a lawsuit that threatens the Obama-era health care law, but the decision is not likely until after the 2020 election.

As a candidate for the White House, Donald Trump repeatedly promised that he would “immediately” replace President Barack Obama’s health care law with a plan of his own that would provide “insurance for everybody.”

More than 8 million people have signed up for coverage next year under former President Barack Obama’s health care law, the government said Friday, showing continued demand for the program amid ongoing uncertainty over its future.

A federal appeals court on Wednesday struck down “Obamacare’s” now-toothless requirement that Americans carry health insurance but sidestepped a ruling on the law’s overall constitutionality. The decision means the law remains in effect for now.

House leaders have unveiled a $1.4 trillion government-wide spending package that’s carrying an unusually large load of unrelated provisions.

The judges seemed disinclined to decide what parts should be saved or struck down, as California and other defenders of the law have urged.

The Washington state Senate passes a bill to put the consumer protections of the Affordable Care Act into state law.

The new Democratic-controlled House has moved toward defending former President Barack Obama’s health care law against a federal court ruling that the statute is unconstitutional, part of the party’s effort to use the issue to embarrass Republicans.

After a federal judge ruled that the Obama-era health overhaul was “invalid,” President Donald Trump is looking to congressional leaders to come up with a replacement even as the White House says the current law will remain in place for now.

A federal judge in Texas threw a dagger into the Affordable Care Act on Friday night, ruling that the entire health-care law is unconstitutional because of a recent change in federal tax law.

Statewide, enrollment numbers are surging in the final few days before the open enrollment period for public health options ends Saturday night. Spokane County residents may pick plans from among four providers offering coverage on the state’s health exchange.