In: Economics
Last year, the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case of King v. Burwell. In June of this year, the court published its decision. Conduct independent research on this case and its decision. Determine whether you would have joined the majority of the minority in the decision and give the reasons why.
and should have a minimum of five hundred (500) words.
PLEASE BE ORIGINAL
king v. Burwell, tested whether people acquiring medical coverage through government trades were qualified for administrative premium appropriations. This decision established the ACA into law and dodged a potential catastrophe in the private medical coverage showcase. How about we investigate.
What the case was about
The ACA enables states to set up their own medical coverage trades or take an interest in a governmentally run trade. Despite the fact that the drafters of the ACA had anticipated each state to set up its own trade, 66% of the states declined to do as such, numerous in resistance to the ACA. Subsequently, 7 million natives in 34 states presently buy their wellbeing insurance through federally created exchanges.
The offended parties in King v. Burwell contended that, in light of the fact that the enactment alludes to those selected "through an Exchange set up by the State," people in states with governmentally run trades are not qualified for sponsorships.
The law states:
PREMIUM ASSISTANCE AMOUNT- The premium assistance amount determined under this subsection with respect to any coverage month is the amount equal to the lesser of-
(A) the monthly premiums for such month for 1 or more qualified health plans offered in the individual market within a State which cover the taxpayer, the taxpayer’s spouse, or any dependent (as defined in section 152) of the taxpayer and which were enrolled in through an Exchange established by the State under 1311 of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act The Supreme Court was asked to decide whether to adhere to those exact words or to honor Congress’ intent to allow individuals to purchase subsidized insurance on any type of exchange.
What might have happened
We’ve explored in previous articles the interconnectedness of many sections of the ACA. Nowhere is that interconnectedness more clearly demonstrated than here. In order to ensure that private health insurers provide better coverage, the law requires them to abide by important consumer protections, including the elimination of “preexisting condition” exclusions. In order to prevent adverse selection and keep insurers solvent under these new rules, all individuals are required to have health care coverage—the individual mandate. If everyone is required to purchase health insurance, it has to be affordable, so lower-income individuals were promised subsidies, paid for 100% by the federal government, to help them cover their premiums when insurance is purchased through an exchange. Take away the subsidies and the whole thing starts to unravel.
The Urban Institute estimated that a Supreme Court ruling in favor of King, which would have eliminated the subsidies in states using a federal exchange, would have reduced federal tax subsidies by $29 billion in 2016, making coverage unaffordable for many and increasing the ranks of the uninsured by 8.2 million people
Louise Sheiner and Brendan Mochoruk of the Brookings Institute speculated that healthy individuals would disproportionately leave the marketplace, triggering 35% increases in insurance premiums for those remaining, as well as significant increases in premiums for those who just lost their subsidies.Many observers, including these experts, forecast that insurance companies.
“Without question, many women enrollees were able to purchase health insurance coverage due, in part, to the ACA subsidies that helped make this purchase affordable. In fact, government data have suggested that roughly 85% of health exchange enrollees received subsidies,” Dr. DeFrancesco said. “If the Supreme Court had overturned this important assistance, approximately 4.8 million women would have been unable to afford the coverage that they need. The impact also would have been widespread; as these women were forced to leave the insurance marketplace, it is likely that premiums throughout the marketplace would have risen dramatically,” he continued. “Instead, patients especially the lowand moderate-income American women who have particularly benefited from ACA subsidies—will continue to have the peace of mind that comes with insurance coverage.”