Waiting Game For States, Consumers As Supreme Court Weighs Subsidies
The Obama administration says it has no backup plan if the high court strikes some health law subsidies, but state-based fixes could save coverage for many. In Tennessee, the governor says his state will wait and see before creating a contingency plan. And advocates rally to put pressure on officials to help people keep subsidies.
Bloomberg Business:
With Obamacare In Peril At Court, Government Offers Scant Relief
Millions of Americans could lose their insurance if the U.S. Supreme Court rules against President Barack Obama on his health-care law. And with the decision due in the next two weeks, the government has no backup plan. The court will say whether tax subsidies under Obamacare that make insurance more affordable for 6.4 million people in 34 states are legal. If it decides they aren’t, that would trigger a high-stakes debate between the administration and Congress over how to respond. Most of the states have no answer either. (Sink, 6/17)
Politico:
A State Fix If Court Hits Obamacare?
The White House claims it has no contingency plan if the Supreme Court strikes down Obamacare subsidies in 34 states that rely on HealthCare.gov rather than operate their own exchanges. Congress is so deeply divided that Republicans don’t even agree among themselves on what to do if 6.4 million Americans see the subsidies vanish. That could leave the whole mess up to the states — and they don’t have an easy remedy either. The 34 states would have to figure out how to establish their own exchanges to keep the subsidies flowing. Some red states insist they won’t even try to fix what they think is a Washington problem, meaning the coverage gap between red and blue states could become even deeper. (Pradhan, 6/17)
The Nashville Tennessean:
Haslam: Wait For Supreme Court Before State Exchange Decision
The state is in a holding pattern about whether it would move to set up a state-run health insurance exchange as it waits on the outcome of a U.S. Supreme Court case that threatens tax credits for more than 150,000 Tennesseans. With less than two weeks left in the Supreme Court's annual term when it releases decisions, Gov. Bill Haslam said his administration wants to see what comes down from the nine justices before making future plans. (Fletcher & Boucher, 6/16)
The Arizona Republic:
Health-Law Subsidies At Risk In Supreme Court Case
More than 126,500 Arizona residents could lose health-insurance coverage if the U.S. Supreme Court this month rejects the federal government's method of helping people pay for health insurance. The case, King v. Burwell, examines whether Affordable Care Act subsidies that help offset monthly health insurance premiums are allowed only in marketplaces that are "established by the state." (Alltucker, 6/16)
Politico Pro:
Families USA Ramps Up Campaign To Keep Subsidies
If the Supreme Court strikes down Obamacare subsidies in federal exchanges, 91,000 of Florida Republican Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart’s constituents would lose financial assistance — more than any other congressional district across 14 southern states, according to data released Tuesday by Families USA. (Demko, 6/16)
Elsewhere, KHN looks closely at the language in question in the law, and South Floridians are already losing their coverage over paperwork snafus --
Kaiser Health News:
How Four Words In Huge Health Law Divide The Supreme Court
In an analysis for Kaiser Health News, Stuart Taylor Jr. writes: "The U.S. Supreme Court is poised to issue a decision this month in a case that could again threaten a key aspect of President Barack Obama’s health law. But this time around, unlike three years ago when the court rejected a constitutional challenge to the law’s individual mandate, the case, King v. Burwell, focuses primarily on statutory interpretation." (Taylor, 6/17)
The Miami Herald:
Paperwork Inconsistencies Causing South Floridians, Others To Lose Obamacare Subsidies
Michel River’s application for an Obamacare insurance plan ran smoothly. He signed up with an agent in November, submitted supporting income documents and started paying his monthly premium of $48. That’s why he was surprised a few months later when his health insurer, Molina Healthcare of Florida, charged him $536 — the full cost of one month of insurance without the tax credits that made his plan affordable. (Herrera, 6/16)