Across The Country, Many Express Relief About Health Law Decision
Local news organizations examine reaction to the ruling and the effect on their states.
WBUR:
Those Who Worked On Mass. Law Cheer As Supreme Court Upholds Obamacare Subsidies
Obamacare supporters everywhere are celebrating a win from the U.S. Supreme Court. With a 6-3 vote, the court decided Thursday that Americans who buy coverage through health care exchanges run by the federal government can continue to receive subsidies. ... Many in Massachusetts had a close personal or professional interest in this case. (Bebinger, 6/25)
Los Angeles Times:
Obamacare Ruling Hailed By California Officials, Consumer Groups
California officials and consumer groups cheered the Supreme Court's ruling Thursday to uphold Obamacare premium subsidies nationwide, and some health-law supporters chided justices for hearing the challenge in the first place. (Terhune, 6/25)
San Antonio Press Express:
Texas Is A Big Winner In High Court’s Obamacare Ruling
In upholding the right to subsidies under the Affordable Care Act, the Supreme Court simply recognized that four misplaced words in a voluminous piece of landmark legislation did not tell the complete story of the measure’s intent.
More than that, the ruling saves Texas — already with the highest percentage of uninsured residents in the nation — from suffering more from the hurtful coverage gap that the ACA seeks to close. (Pimentel, 6/25)
The Houston Chronicle:
Texas Reactions To ACA Ruling: Republicans Complain, Democrats Rejoice
Texas officials expressed disappointment with the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act on Thursday, with Attorney General Ken Paxton calling it "unfortunate news" and Gov. Greg Abbott accusing America's highest court of abandoning the Constitution. "The Supreme Court abandoned the Constitution to resuscitate a failing healthcare law," Abbott said in a statement shortly after the 6-3 ruling came down from Washington. "Today's action underscores why it is now more important than ever to ensure we elect a President who will repeal Obamacare and enact real healthcare reforms." ... Democratic legislative leaders celebrated the ruling, which will allow more than 800,000 Texans residents to keep receiving an average of $250 worth of subsidies toward insurance. (Rosenthal, 6/25)
The Nashville Tennessean:
What Does King Vs. Burwell Decision Mean For Insure TN?
Tennesseans can continue to use tax credits to help them purchase insurance through the federally run health insurance exchange.
Some health care advocates, politicians and hospital executives argue the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on King vs. Burwell that deemed those subsidies legal also opens the door for lawmakers to take another crack at passing Gov. Bill Haslam's controversial health insurance proposal, Insure Tennessee. (Boucher, 6/25)
Cincinnati Enquirer:
Relief For Ohioans Getting Health-Care Subsidy
One jubilant phone call after another came into the Connelly house in Amelia on Thursday morning with the news of the 6-3 U.S. Supreme Court decision on Obamacare.
“Yay!” said Cindy Connelly. “I was on the phone with my friends, and we all have subsidies, and we just kept asking, ‘Did you hear? The subsidies passed!’ ”
The high court’s ruling keeps in place the federal subsidies that help Cindy Connelly, her husband Mike and more than 160,000 other Ohioans pay for health insurance that they purchased through the healthcare.gov marketplace. (Saker, 6/25)
Georgia Health News:
High Court Preserves All ACA Subsidies
The U.S. Supreme Court, in a 6-3 ruling Thursday, upheld the Affordable Care Act subsidies that have helped millions of Americans, including 412,000 Georgians, obtain insurance coverage. The ruling was hailed as a huge victory for President Obama and for the ACA, although the constitutionality of the 2010 law was not in dispute in this case. (Miller, 6/25)
St. Louis Public Radio:
What Supreme Court Decision Means For Health Insurance, Missouri Politicians Respond
In a 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court upheld a high-profile challenge to the Affordable Care Act that could have made health insurance unaffordable for more than 5 million people. The case, King v. Burwell, addressed whether income-based tax subsidies should be available to consumers who purchased their insurance on the federal health-care exchange because their states did not set up their own exchange. The subsidies come from federal funds and are used to bring down the cost of insurance for people who cannot afford it. (Bouscaren and Mannies, 6/25)
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Supreme Court Backs Key Provision Of Health Law, Delivering Big Victory To Obama
The message was simple: “The Affordable Care Act is here to stay.” Those were the words of a triumphant President Barack Obama immediately after the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday that upheld a major tenet of his health care overhaul. In a 6-3 ruling, the court said government subsidies to offset the cost of health insurance would continue to be available to consumers across the country. The decision means 200,000 Missourians and 230,000 Illinoisans will continue to get help with their health insurance bills. (Shapiro, 6/26)
New Hampshire Union Leader:
Obamacare Ruling Relief To 30,000 In NH
More than 30,000 New Hampshire residents who got federal tax subsidies to purchase health insurance on the Obamacare website heaved a collective sigh of relief on Thursday, as the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the subsidies are legal. The much-anticipated 6-3 ruling in King v. Burwell was hailed by supporters of the Affordable Care Act, who said the decision suggests the ACA is here to stay. (Solomon, 6/25)
The Seattle Times:
Obamacare Ruling Welcomed In State, But Issues Remain
Officials in Washington state, which has largely supported the Affordable Care Act, welcomed the news Thursday of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding a key provision of the health-care overhaul. Because this state has its own exchange, Washington Healthplanfinder, the more than 124,000 residents receiving premium-reducing subsidies through the exchange would have continued to get that benefit. On average, insurance with a subsidy costs $174 a month per person in Washington, while unsubsidized insurance sold through the exchange cost $384. (Stiffler, 6/25)
The Charlotte Observer:
ACA Insurance Aid Stands, But NC Health Care Struggles
The Carolinas dodged a health care crisis Thursday when the U.S. Supreme Court preserved insurance subsidies for more than 6 million Americans, including almost 459,000 in North Carolina. But even as the Carolinians who get federal help buying private policies exhaled in relief, the battle over health reform raged anew. Republicans, who would have been under pressure to come up with a quick alternative if the court had overturned the subsidies, renewed their criticism of the Affordable Care Act. (Helms, 6/26)
The Richmond Times-Dispatch:
U.S. Health Secretary: Consumers Can "Sleep Easier"
Of the approximately 385,000 Virginians enrolled in health plans through the Affordable Care Act marketplace, 83 percent receive subsidies, according to federal data. The average monthly premium was $348 per person before tax credits averaging $259 reduced monthly premiums to $89, a 74 percent reduction. (Smith, 6/25)