Ida Sievers, who was diagnosed with leukemia last fall, had been praying that she wouldn’t lose the $620-a-month government subsidy for her health insurance. So she was delighted Thursday when she learned that the Supreme Court had ruled that the financial aid was legal and could continue.
“Thank God, hallelujah, that is so awesome,” said Sievers, a 46-year-old resident of Sioux Falls, S.D. “Oh man! I’m so happy. I’ve been so stressed about it and worried, just every day. I’ve been talking to my husband, ‘What are we gonna do honey’? And he just says, ‘Have faith, honey, it’s gonna be okay.’”
Sievers was one of several consumers who expressed relief that the court sided with the Obama administration in the highly anticipated King v. Burwell decision. Under the administration’s interpretation of the Affordable Care Act, about 6.4 million Americans receive financial aid to reduce the cost of health plans sold on the state and federal insurance exchanges. The suit challenged the subsidies provided through the federal exchange.
Sievers bought her insurance late last year on the federal marketplace, HealthCare.gov, because South Dakota was one of 34 states that did not set up its own marketplace. She got chemotherapy and is now in remission. But she has been too weak to go back to her part-time job as a cashier at a convenience store. Her husband’s job, which involves operating machinery for the city street department, is seasonal, has limited hours, and doesn’t provide insurance. He earns about $30,000 a year.
About 85 percent of consumers who have bought insurance on state and federal exchanges receive a subsidy; the average amount is $272 a month, according to government data. If the court had ruled against the administration, consumers who are receiving subsidies could have seen their costs for insurance almost triple, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder