Supreme Court affirms ACA subsidies

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a key part of the Affordable Care Act that provides health insurance subsidies to all qualifying Americans (Source: “Affordable Care Act survives Supreme Court challenge,” Washington Post, June 25, 2015). 

In considering the law, the justices were asked to interpret a passage that said the tax credits are authorized for those who buy insurance on marketplaces that are “established by the state.” In the 6-to-3 decision, Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. said that the full language of the law made it clear that lawmakers intended for tax subsidies to be available both in state-run and federally run exchanges.

As of March 31, 188,867 Ohioans had coverage through the health insurance marketplace. Of these consumers, 161,011 (85.3 percent) were receiving an advanced premium tax credit and 82,427 (43.6 percent) were receiving cost-sharing reductions.