Thousands of West Virginians keep health subsidies

WASHINGTON, D.C. — An estimated 26,000 West Virginians will continue receiving federal subsidies for healthcare insurance following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision Thursday, which President Barack Obama called “a good day for America.”

Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said he appreciated the high court’s ruling: “This will help West Virginians who count on the tax credits available through the Affordable Care Act to continue purchasing insurance through the private market.”

Some 33,000 West Virginians bought health insurance plans through West Virginia’s state exchange or marketplace and about 85 percent of them receive subsidies in the form of tax credits, according to information from the Tomblin Administration.

West Virginia is one of the 34 states that opted to use the federal insurance exchange created in the ACA law, also known as Obamacare, instead of building its own marketplace for people who lacked other insurance options, like employer plans.

Terri Giles, executive director of West Virginians for Affordable Health Care, said West Virginians receive average premium subsidies on the exchange of $314, totaling $100 million each year.

Giles called the ruling a “monumental victory” for low-income healthcare recipients.

“I wasn’t really all that worried, but it was a great relief when the ruling came down,” Giles said,

The case was focused on a single phrase in the healthcare law which said participants must enroll through an exchange “established by the state.”

Critics argued, because of that phrase, the federal government is not allowed to subsidize insurance in states like West Virginia, that went with the federal exchange instead of creating their own.

In the majority opinion issued Thursday, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote: “Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them. … If at all possible, we must interpret the Act in a way that is consistent with the former and avoids the latter.”

In the dissent, though, Justice Antonin Scalia claimed the majority opinion used “interpretative jiggery-pokery” and, at one point, asserted the Affordable Care Act should be called “SCOTUScare.”

U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.) told MetroNews “Talkline” she hoped for a different ruling.

“We see premiums going up. We see a lot of confusion. We see people who are losing coverage,” she said. “At this point, we accept the decision and then (we’ll) keep trying to reform and make it better. I think that’s our best strategy at this point.”

In a statement, 3rd District Congressman Evan Jenkins (R-W.Va.) claimed Obamacare isn’t working for West Virginians.

“While I am disappointed in the Supreme Court’s decision, the Court’s action won’t stop my efforts to replace this broken law with patient-centered, truly affordable health care,” Jenkins said.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Joe Manchin said the law isn’t perfect, but only needs to be repaired, not repealed.

“Now that the Supreme Court has ruled to uphold the Affordable Care Act, my sincere hope is that we can put the political divisiveness behind us and start working on the necessary improvements to make this law work better for all Americans,” Manchin said.





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