Insurers, Health Providers Anxious About Decision On Health Law Subsidies
The Wall Street Journal reports that some people are making medical appointments now in anticipation of a ruling that could end their health coverage. Also bracing for the ruling, hospitals would explore ways to increase charity care if subsidies end for millions, while insurers might reexamine their participation in some markets. Business Insider, meanwhile, looks at the two men who will likely decide the law's fate -- Justices Anthony Kennedy and Chief Justice John Roberts.
The Wall Street Journal:
Insurers, Hospitals Brace For Affordable Care Act Ruling
Hospitals, doctors and consumers are preparing for the fallout if the Supreme Court strikes down subsidies that help about 6.4 million Americans buy health insurance under the Affordable Care Act. Some people are making medical appointments now, in anticipation of being unable to afford their insurance. Hospitals are exploring ways to increase charity care or planning their lobbying strategies should subsidies on the federal insurance exchange be found illegal. And doctors worry about what they would tell their patients. (Armour, 6/21)
The New York Times:
Health Insurers Brace For Supreme Court Ruling
Their industry already upended with the passage of the federal health care law, insurance companies are facing another upheaval if the Supreme Court rules that millions of Americans are not eligible for subsidies to help defray the cost of their coverage. The court is expected to decide by the end of June or in early July whether it agrees with the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell that the language in the Affordable Care Act allows the government to offer subsidies only in those states that have established their own insurance marketplaces. (Abelson, 6/21)
Reuters:
Tensions Build As Supreme Court Readies Series Of Blockbuster Rulings
Tensions are building inside and outside the white marble facade of the U.S. Supreme Court building as the nine justices prepare to issue major rulings on gay marriage and President Barack Obama’s health care law by the end of the month.
Of the 11 cases left to decide, the biggest are a challenge by gay couples to state laws banning same-sex marriage and a conservative challenge to subsidies provided under the Obamacare law to help low- and middle-income people buy health insurance that could lead to millions of people losing medical coverage. (Hurley, 6/21)
Business Insider:
The Fate Of Obamacare Could Reside In The Hands Of One Of These 2 People
The fate of the Affordable Care Act is in the hands of the Supreme Court once again — and whether it lives as is or crumbles might depend on a justice who believes the heart of the law to be unconstitutional.
Justice Anthony Kennedy is the traditional swing vote, and his views on the latest death threat to the law colloquially known as Obamacare will likely predict how the court rules.
The fate of the decision could also rest with conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, who previously sided with the liberals to uphold the law. (Logiurato, 6/20)
News outlets report on Kansas, Missouri and North Carolina residents who receive subsidies and who might be impacted by the Supreme Court's decision -
The Kansas City Star:
With ACA Ruling Near, Health Insurance For Millions Hangs in Balance
Marilyn Lynch of Kansas City could lose her health insurance this year. So could Kristine and Kenny Cloughley of Pleasant Hill. So could tens of thousands more in Missouri and Kansas, and millions nationwide. It all depends on an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court decision that will either help cement the legal foundations of the Affordable Care Act or so destabilize the ACA that it sends shock waves through the nation’s health care system and the 2016 election campaign. (Bavley, 6/21)
Kaiser Health News:
Looming Decision Could Cripple Part Of N.C. Health Insurance Market
Roughly half a million North Carolinians could soon lose money they depend on for health insurance. The U.S. Supreme Court will rule soon on a key part of the Affordable Care Act. It governs federal subsidies for insurance in states like North Carolina that did not set up their own exchange or marketplace. The result could be disastrous for many low-income Americans and for insurance markets in about three dozen states. (Tomsic, 6/22)
