Supporters of the Affordable Care Act, known as Obamacare, are celebrating in the wake of news that the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled 6-3 in favor of maintaining federal health insurance subsidies for people in states that don't have their own health exchanges in King v. Burwell.
The news broke late Thursday morning of the 6-3 decision, and is considered, as the News Service of Florida puts it, "a major victory for the Obama administration."
The six supporters were Chief Justice John Roberts, who penned the decision, and justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.
Those who were against it constitute the court's ultra-conservative wing: justices Antonin Scalia, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito dissented. The News Service will have a story later Thursday.
Florida had the highest number of residents who bought subsidized insurance through the federal exchange (healthcare.gov) because state lawmakers refuse to set up their own.
Those closely watching the case were at the ready with statements regarding the news.
"Today the Supreme Court decided the fate of more than six million Americans and more than a million Floridians, ensuring they will continue to be able to afford quality health coverage," said Mark Ferrulo, executive director of Progress Florida in a written statement. "This historic decision benefits more families in Florida than anywhere else in the nation. More than a million Floridians will continue to save over three thousand dollars each through tax credits and cost-sharing reductions that enable them to afford health coverage."
Congresswoman Kathy Castor applauded the decision, which hinged on four words in the Affordable Care Act.
"This decision will ensure Floridians and working families across the country continue to have access to affordable coverage options," she said in a written statement. "The Republican-led lawsuit sought to unravel the Affordable Care Act as part of the GOP’s reckless obsession to block health care reform at every turn at the expense of millions of families seeking quality health care plans and financial security."
According to the RAND Corporation, about 9.6 million Americans take advantage of the subsidy.
John Arensmeyer, head of the group Small Business Majority, said affordable insurance is essential for innovation and entrepreneurship, given that many stay in unsatisfying corporate jobs solely to maintain insurance benefits instead of striking out on their own to launch small businesses, a key component of the American economy as well as its zeitgeist.
"Employment and access to affordable health insurance historically have been tightly linked," he said in a media release. "That linkage pressures individuals to seek out and remain in jobs that provide affordable health insurance, even if they would otherwise choose to start their own business or pursue a more attractive job opportunity with a growing small business.
The implications in Florida are huge, say supporters, because the hundreds of thousands of Floridians who take advantage of the subsidy were at risk of losing their insurance, thus nearly doubling the number of uninsured people in the state. Those who can't afford insurance aren't poor enough to qualify for Medicaid often can't afford to go to the doctor; instead visiting the emergency room for basic care.
“Today’s ruling is especially welcome news in Florida where health tax credits for 1.3 million Floridians were at risk," Castor continued. "Floridians have already been subjected to Gov. Rick Scott’s political obstruction and scare tactics which are contrary to the best interests of our citizens and businesses. I have heard concerns from mothers, students and others who have been on the brink of losing the peace of mind and financial security afforded by health care coverage.
Ferrulo called on leaders at the state level to follow suit by accepting federal Medicaid dollars to cover the hundreds of thousands of uninsured that remain, and for the GOP-led Congress to stop trying to undermine the law.
"Now is the time for Gov. Rick Scott and his allies in the legislature and in Congress to end their efforts to undermine the Affordable Care Act once and for all," he said.
Neither are likely.
Scott and lawmakers in the State House doggedly refused to take up Medicaid expansion despite a strident bipartisan effort in the State Senate to negotiate a plan.
Congress, meanwhile, has voted literally dozens of times to repeal Obamacare.
Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly has long been critical of the law and has actively tried to repeal it via the Patient Freedom Act, which removes the requirement that all individuals be insured.
“I believe the American people should be in control of their own health care coverage decisions, not government," he wrote in a post on his public Facebook page. "Which is why, despite today’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling, I am continuing to push legislation (H.R. 143) restoring the freedom of all Americans to decide what health care coverage is right for them and their family. You will recall, I introduced the 'Patient Freedom Act of 2014' which would repeal Obamacare’s individual health insurance mandate."
Decision day celebrations have been planned throughout the state SEIU Florida President Monica Russo issued the following statement in response to the Supreme Court ruling today in the King v. Burwell case.
"Despite hideous efforts by ultraconservatives to attempt to strip over 6 million Americans — 1.4 million of whom are Floridians — of affordable health care in the King v. Burwell case, the Supreme Court sided by a vote of 6 to 3 to uphold the Affordable Care Act," Russo said.