The Supreme Court Decides to Hear King v. Burwell: What Are the Implications?
The Affordable Care Act entered perilous territory once again today when the U.S. Supreme Court decided to hear the case of<em> King v. Burwell</em>. <em>King </em>is one of several cases challenging the legality of federal subsidies granted to low- and middle-income people who buy health insurance in the 34 federally run health insurance marketplaces. <br /><br />
In a new blog post, The Commonwealth Fund’s David Blumenthal, M.D., and Sara Collins say the Supreme Court decision could have huge implications. More than 4 million people have received subsidies through federally run marketplaces so far. The loss of these subsidies would make insurance unaffordable for many, if not all, of these newly insured individuals. Moreover, the ruling could threaten other popular Affordable Care Act reforms to the individual insurance market that could drive up premiums.