Supreme Court ruling could upend Obamacare politics

Politico ^ | 2/26/15 | David Nather & Jennifer Haberkorn

[DoodleDawg]

What Obamacare gave, the Supreme Court could take away.

The Supreme Court next Wednesday hears a case that could end Obamacare subsidies in 34 states that use HealthCare.gov. If the justices rule that the subsidies are illegal through the federal exchange, they would largely unravel President Barack Obama’s health care law, which has helped millions of Americans get insured.

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The circumstances are different than the last time the court had a chance to gut Obamacare. That was in 2012, and the court narrowly upheld the law and its unpopular individual mandate. Back then, most of the Affordable Care Act hadn’t gone into effect yet; it was still partly an abstraction.

Now, 11.4 million people have signed up, and nearly nine in 10 get tax credits to help pay for coverage. Most of them are in states that use the federal exchange, rather than running their own, and those are the people who lose their financial assistance if the court rules against the White House in the case known as King v. Burwell. Up to 8 million people could once again be uninsured, according to an estimate by the Urban Institute.

The cut off could be abrupt — and the political outcry intense.

[DoodleDawg]

OK so say the Supreme Court rules against Obamacare and all those people getting subsidies for their insurance are immediately dropped from their coverage. What then? We know that the Democrats will immediately advance a bill that closes the loophole that caused the court case in the first place. One would assume the GOP will refuse to go along. Or will they? And if they do, what do they offer in Obamacare's place?

[Crazieman]

I think El Presidente will take the Andrew Jackson approach.

After all, he already has on the stay order over amnesty by the federal judge.

[Pearls Before Swine]

Curiousity question of the day:

Does anyone else here worry about the physical safety of the five more or less conservative SC Justices? ONE down... and nobody’s getting any younger... is all it would take for a combined Executive/Judicial de facto dictatorship.

[Regulator]

Ooooooohhhh Politico's knickers are in a knot because the un-Constitutional CommieCare might get taken down on one of it's multiple agressions against the Supreme Law of the Land and all that.

"which has helped millions of Americans get insured"

Actually it "helped" millions and millions of Americans to get un-insured - as in, they lost their policies, ended up being forced to buy something far worse, and pay more. 'Member that?

Meanwhile, the Pubs do....nothing. "It's settled law".

Yawn. We all know it'll be 5-4 or worse, Roberts and Kennedy joining the Socialists.

[pepsionice]

There’s no real reason to come in with some solution, if you ask me. If you drop the subsidy asap....then tens of thousands will quit weekly their current policy, and the health insurance industry will undergo a massive spiral. I haven’t heard any business analyst discuss this on the business channel yet....but you can only assume that the court will have to order end-point. Maybe they say it stops as of end of December....maybe earlier.

[tet68]

President Barack Obama’s health care law, which has
helped forced millions of Americans get insured.

[Steely Tom]

Whenever I see a headline like this, I always think of that episode of the old Popeye cartoon where they break through the fourth wall. Bluto has Popeye down, there's no hope, Popeye's head is in a screw press or something, he reaches into his shirt for a can of spinach, and he realizes there is no can of spinach.

It looks like curtains for Popeye, and the camera pans back from the screen into the movie theater. There's a little boy there who's really upset - Popeye is about to buy the farm! He looks down on the seat next to him, and there's a bag of groceries, with a big can of spinach right on top!

He grabs he can, and yells out "I'll help you, Popeye! He throws the spinach can at the screen, and Popeye grabs it! It goes into the cartoon! Popeye gives it a squeeze, the top pops off, spinach down the hatch, the muscles bulge, the dynamos spin, and the tables are turned.

This is what I think of. "Oh no, the Supreme Court could hurt Obamacare! I'll help you, President Obama!" is what the little boys and girls in the MSM are all wishing they could yell at the screen.

[ColdOne]

I just read a article that said Treasury refused to tell where 3billion dollars given to obiecare came from. It doesn’t matter anymore. He will do as he pleases.

[eyeamok]

I agree, and he will do it with the blessing of congress.

[Lou L]

We know that the Democrats will immediately advance a bill

While they're certainly free to craft any proposed bill of their choosing, I'm hoping that the Republicans won't allow them to "advance" anything without their input. And hopefully, Republican input does not include "saving" this piece of crap legislation.

[sport]

Yeah! And hell could freeze over or the moon could turn to green cheese.

[goldstategop]

The GOP won’t repeal Obamacare. They don’t want to be accused of going against women, minorities and the poor.

They’ll fulminate against it but they won’t come up with to repeal and replace it.

We’re more or less stuck with government-run health care.

[DoodleDawg]

I haven’t heard any business analyst discuss this on the business channel yet....but you can only assume that the court will have to order end-point. Maybe they say it stops as of end of December....maybe earlier.

Can the court do that? If they rule against it on a Monday morning then the subsidies are illegal immediately and have to stop immediately. They can't give it a grace period and say it's legal now but will be illegal in December.

[DoodleDawg]

President Barack Obama’s health care law, which has helped forced millions of Americans get insured.

And will result in them all being uninsured. So what do they do?

[Uncle Miltie]

The Roberts Coercion is in effect.

I’m taking bets.

[Principled]

They aren’t dropped from coverage. Their subsidies will stop is all. They’ll have to pay for their own health insurance ... like I do.

I don’t mind helping people out - nobody here minds that. What we do not like is when money is stolen from us and given to someone not of our choosing. Like say illegal invaders with 17 DUI convix for example.

When the subsidies are gone, there will be wailing and gnashing about the cost and Harry [you know, the senate majority leader] will try to make us pay for them.

This is when the Rs need to implement a full repeal and market reforms. Use reconciliation, use nuclear option in the senate - just farking get it done.

GET. IT. DONE.

[anoldafvet]

Which a
Has helped millions of Americans get insured and even more millions of Americans get uninsured and unemployed.

[DoodleDawg]

While they're certainly free to craft any proposed bill of their choosing, I'm hoping that the Republicans won't allow them to "advance" anything without their input. And hopefully, Republican input does not include "saving" this piece of crap legislation.

One would hope they would, and say that they do? What happens to all the people who lost their coverage? The GOP made political hay out of the "like your doctor keep your doctor" fiasco of the Democrats. How do they face the "you would have health care if not for the Republicans" that the Dems will throw at them? Bearing in mind that the GOP has no single alternative that a majority of them could sign off on, and couldn't pass it for months even if they did.

[outofsalt]

The whole thing reminds me of,

[DoodleDawg]

Their subsidies will stop is all. They’ll have to pay for their own health insurance ... like I do.

Which means they will lose it.

This is when the Rs need to implement a full repeal and market reforms. Use reconciliation, use nuclear option in the senate - just farking get it done.

A process that could take months or years.