"I think this will be overturned on appeal," Collins said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union." She added, "There's no reason why the individual mandate provision can't be struck down and keep all the good provisions of the Affordable Care Act."
She pointed to the bill's protections for pre-existing conditions, mandated benefits for substance abuse and mental illness treatment, and a provision that allows young adults to remain on their parents' policies until age 26.
A federal judge in Texas said Friday that the Affordable Care Act's individual coverage mandate is unconstitutional and that the rest of the law therefore cannot stand.
A group of states led by California is already vowing to appeal the decision.
Responding to the ruling on Saturday, President Donald Trump declared, "It was a great ruling for our country."
Collins said Sunday that she does not agree with Trump that Friday's ruling was "great" for Americans.
"There is widespread support for protecting people with preexisting conditions. There's also widespread opposition to the individual mandate," she said.
In September 2017, Collins was one of three Republicans who were opposed to a GOP-sponsored effort to repeal Obamacare, expressing concerns that the legislation didn't do enough to protect individuals with preexisting conditions. Congress effectively eliminated the individual mandate penalty by reducing it to $0 as part of the GOP's 2017 tax bill.
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