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A federal appeals court on Wednesday canceled December arguments over health insurance tax credits under the Affordable Care Act, following the Supreme Court’s Nov. 7 decision to review the issue itself. The Supreme Court last week accepted an appeal in a separate lawsuit from Virginia, King v. Burwell, that challenged the subsidies and made it likely the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit would halt work on the case it was reviewing. Arguments in the Virginia case will be held in early 2015 with a decision before July. The D.C. Circuit said it would pick up review of its case, Halbig v. Burwell, after the Supreme Court rules in the Virginia case. (Bravin, 11/12)

A federal appeals court on Wednesday delayed plans to handle a challenge to the Obama administration's health care law because the Supreme Court is stepping into a separate case covering the same legal ground. On Wednesday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit decided not to move forward with an Obamacare case that was to have been argued on Dec. 17. It will be held back until the Supreme Court rules on its case, probably in late June. (11/12)

If the Court rules in favor of King, 4.6 million people will lose access to the subsidies that make their health coverage affordable. Similarly, the employer mandate would take a hit in those states as well. (Ehley, 11/12)