The Affordable Care Act Beats Another U.S. Supreme Court Challenge

By Sandra Jordan
Special to the NNPA from the St. Louis American

In a major victory for the Obama administration, the Supreme Court upheld by 6-3, that the Affordable Care Act authorizes federal tax credits for eligible Americans living not only in states with their own health insurance exchanges but also in the 34 states with federal exchanges.

President Barack Obama praised the June 25 Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the subsidies in his signature health care law  by recalling all the hurdles the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has cleared in order to survive.

“After more than 50 votes in Congress to repeal or weaken this law; after a presidential election based in part on preserving or repealing this law; after multiple challenges to this law before the Supreme Court — the Affordable Care Act is here to stay,” President Obama said from the White House.

“If the partisan challenge to this law had succeeded, millions of Americans would have had thousands of dollars’ worth of tax credits taken from them.  For many, insurance would have become unaffordable again.  Many would have become uninsured again.  Ultimately, everyone’s premiums could have gone up.  America would have gone backwards.  And that’s not what we do.  That’s not what America does.  We move forward.”

At issue in the court challenge King vs. Burwell, was whether the Internal Revenue Service could extend tax-credit subsidies to health insurance coverage purchased through exchanges established by the federal government (like the Missouri Marketplace) under Section 1321 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

“The Supreme Court’s decision means that families and individuals across Missouri will still be able to afford health insurance,” said Ryan Barker, director of health policy for the Missouri Foundation for Health. “Now, nearly 200,000 Missourians who rely on tax subsidies to help pay their health insurance premium will be able to continue their coverage. These Missourians will not have to choose between health insurance and other basic needs. They will have access to vital health services at affordable costs.”

Medicaid expansion, a key component of the Affordable Care Act, continues to face legislative opposition in Missouri, even though it is almost totally funded  by the federal government to get more people enrolled in health coverage.

In a statement, Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said, “However, it is important to note that there are hundreds of thousands more Missourians who continue to be denied access to affordable health care due to the Missouri legislature’s inaction on Medicaid.”

Nixon added the “ruling by the Roberts Court to uphold the Affordable Care Act a second time removes all doubt that the ACA is and will remain the law of the land.  There are no more excuses for continuing to send our tax dollars to other states and denying 300,000 working Missourians the opportunity to access affordable health care coverage through Medicaid expansion.”

The governor said he looks forward to working with the General Assembly next session to finally bring Missouri tax dollars home to provide affordable health coverage to hundreds of thousands of hard-working Missourians through Medicaid expansion.

In the last health insurance enrollment period, those tax credits benefitted 90 percent of Missouri Marketplace enrollees, who qualified for premium tax credits to lower their costs. Cover Missouri reports the tax credits lowered the average premium payment from $363 to $85 per month.

For more information regarding health insurance coverage, visit www.covermissouri.org.