Republicans will not support preserving subsidies

Congressional Republicans do not intend to support a law to preserve consumers' health insurance tax credits if the U.S. Supreme Court rules subsidies under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act are only available to people in states that established their own exchanges, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The Supreme Court is set to hear King v. Burwell March 4. The case will decide whether the law was meant to provide subsidies solely for states with state-run marketplaces or whether subsidies should be given to eligible people in all states, according to The Washington Post.

Republican leaders in the House and Senate "see the court challenge as their best hope for tearing apart a law they have long opposed," and would not allow lawmakers to pass legislation to revive the subsidies if the Supreme Court strikes them down,  according to The Wall Street Journal.

Some of the healthcare industry's major groups and systems have submitted friend-of-the-court briefs in King v. Burwell. The American Hospital Association, joined by the Federation of American Hospitals, Association of American Medical Colleges, and America's Essential Hospitals, argues in their brief that if the high court decides subsidies can only be provided to residents of states that established their own exchanges, it "would be a disaster for millions of lower- and middle-income Americans."

A recent Kaiser Health Tracking Poll shows nearly two-thirds of the public say Congress should pass law to ensure residents in all states can be eligible for subsidies to purchase health insurance if the Supreme Court rules that subsidies are only available in states with state-run marketplaces. 

 

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