It’s the middle of June. And while that may have you dreaming of flip flops, sunglasses, and summer, here at Virginia Medical Plans (and in the circles we travel), all eyes are on the King v. Burwell case.
By the end of this month we should know whether or not the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) will strike down subsidies on the federal health insurance exchange based on the four words “established by the state.”
In states like Virginia which chose to offer health insurance through the federal exchange rather than creating their own exchange, a ruling against the subsidies would do away with access to affordable health insurance for thousands of residents.
Amongst our colleagues, there is almost universal agreement that, at this point, such a ruling would be disastrous — for the people who will no longer be able to afford coverage, for the insurance carriers who stand to lose a lot of their business, for just about everybody involved.
There is also widespread agreement that subsidies are unlikely to go away.
We have been saying this since SCOTUS agreed to hear the case, and we still believe it to be so. As we see it, either …
1. SCOTUS will determine that subsidies ARE allowed on the federal exchange and uphold the law, OR
2. If SCOTUS does rule that the subsidies are only permitted on state-run exchanges, some sort of procedural fix or compromise may allow the subsidies to continue — at least during a transition time.
So either way, it’s going to be “business as usual.”
If you have a qualifying event, you can still sign up for 2015 health insurance. We’d be happy to help. Give us a call at 703-707-8270.
