The fate of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act depends, once again, on a Supreme Court decision.
The case, King v. Burwell, challenges the legality of tax subsidies for health insurance under the PPACA. Highlighted below are five things to know about the case.
1. In November 2014, The Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments in King v. Burwell. The arguments are scheduled to take place March 4.
2. The case challenges whether subsidies may be awarded in the 34 states that chose not to set up their own health insurance marketplaces and instead rely on the federal government's exchange. The PPACA states tax subsidies for health insurance are to be provided through an exchange established by the state.
3. If the court decides the subsidies may not be legally provided in states without their own exchanges, those who purchased insurance in those states would no longer receive financial assistance for their insurance premiums.
4. Additionally, if the subsidies are blocked in states without their own exchanges, many people would become uninsured because they would no longer be able to afford health coverage.
5. Eliminating subsidies for individuals would eliminate the employer mandate that will require larger firms to provide coverage to their workers because the mandate merely requires employers to pay a fine if their employees receive subsidies on the exchange.
5. Regardless of the decision, which states qualify as running their own exchanges is unlikely to be answered.
More articles on lawsuits and King v. Burwell:
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