The ruling didn’t directly affect California, which has set up its own insurance exchange. Although 37 states are now using the federal-run exchanges, 34 are technically federal exchanges and would have been affected if the court ruled in the plaintiffs’ favor. And even less significant than that, those of us in the political writing business can now wallow in despair that we wasted so many irreplaceable minutes of our lives gaming out the ramifications of this long-shot scheme to destroy the president’s healthcare law.
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Are the subsidies large enough to make health insurance affordable, and are the plans generous enough?…
Borick added when there is a big decision from the Supreme Court, such as this one, it gives presidential candidates the chance to talk about the importance of Supreme Court nominees.
“After multiple challenges of this law to the Supreme Court, the Affordable Care Act is here to say,” said President Obama.
The court ruled 6-3 in King v. Burwell that questionable subsidies to millions of Americans could be saved – a ruling that likely will prevent any kind of “death spiral” caused by healthy people quitting Obamacare en masse and leaving only the sick in the program.
Opponents of the ACA insisted that, as the 2010 law was written, the tax credits could only be offered with insurance purchased through online exchanges operated by individual states.
A tweet from Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker said the ruling means “Republicans must redouble their efforts to repeal and replace this destructive & costly law”. “So it just removes a level of stress and a level of worry for our patients and now we can focus on their health and they can focus on their health”.
It would have done Republican leaders in Washington no harm to have had their alternative to the Affordable Care Act ready to pass.
“With that coverage, then we’ll see our charity care, for instance, be reduced.” said Mercy Medical Center’s Vice President of Communications and Community Development, Dave Smetter.
This latest case was always a feeble, “gotcha” challenge, and the court majority saw it that way, ruling that despite some “inartful” wording, the law’s clear intent would have been undermined had the court sided with the challengers.
Worse still, the health care system as a whole requires Americans to pay a greater share of their income for health care than any other developed country, and for results that are mainly average.
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said the decision will “allow 6.4 million Americans to maintain the health care coverage they need”. They have coverage that can keep them healthy and provide quality care when they are sick.
