'Ugly' potential fallout from Supreme Court health care case

[G_j]

Last edited Mon May 25, 2015, 05:48 PM - Edit history (1)

http://news.yahoo.com/ugly-potential-fallout-supreme-court-115504301.html

Ruling may gut 'Obamacare,' but Republicans would feel the heat if millions lose subsidies

Associated Press By Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar, Associated Press


WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Supreme Court ruling due in a few weeks could wipe out health insurance for millions of people covered by President Barack Obama's health care law. But it's Republicans — not White House officials — who have been talking about damage control.

A likely reason: Twenty-six of the 34 states that would be most affected by the ruling have Republican governors, and 22 of the 24 GOP Senate seats up in 2016 are in those states.

Obama's law offers subsidized private insurance to people without access to it on the job. In the court case, opponents of the law argue that its literal wording allows the federal government to subsidize coverage only in states that set up their own health insurance markets.

Most states have not done so, because of the intense partisanship over "Obamacare" and in some cases because of technical problems. Instead, they rely on the federal HealthCare.gov website.

If the court invalidates the subsidies in those states, an estimated 8 million people could lose coverage. The results would be "ugly," said Sandy Praeger, a former Kansas insurance commissioner.

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[djean111]

1. I would think that the insurance companies would be against this.

Without the subsidies, a lot of people cannot afford the required insurance.

[G_j]

2. "a classic death spiral"

"People who are reasonably healthy would just drop coverage," she said. "Only the unhealthy would keep buying health care. It would really exacerbate the problem of the cost of health insurance."

Praeger, a Republican who retired this year, called it "a classic death spiral," using a term for market collapse.

[GeorgeGist]

3. Given the idiocy of the Roberts court ...

one would predict that SCOTUS will phuck us up. Again.

[Doctor_J]

4. No way Big Insurance will let this happen.

This court will not slay the goose that is laying platinum eggs for their insurance benefactors. Notice that the day the GOP took over the senate, the votes to "repeal Obamacare" suddenly came to a screeching halt. I am frankly surprised how many people believe this Kabuki theater

[Whiskeytide]

5. I thought I was the only...

... one who noticed that. ACA is good for insurance companies. They will not allow the SCOTUS to undo it.