With the Supreme Court scheduled to hand down its opinion in King v. Burwell by the end of the month, Republican leaders are coming together around a plan that would extend subsidies under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act for up to two more years if the high court does away with the tax credits in the 34 states that have not created their own health insurance exchanges, according to The Wall Street Journal.
If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell, up to 8 million Americans in 34 states that used the federal government's HealthCare.gov site to purchase health insurance could lose their subsidies. Both supporters and opponents of the health reform law agree that a loss of subsidies for people who used the federally run exchange would cause them to lose insurance, as well as a rise in premiums.
House and Senate leaders have been discussing plans for a short-term preservation of the PPACA subsidies for weeks, and four GOP committee chairman briefed House Republicans on a plan Wednesday, according to the report.
The proposal is a positive one for those states without their own health insurance marketplaces, as it calls for the subsidies to be maintained for up to two more years.
"You just can't leave these people who are victims not of their own accord without the ability to pay for their own healthcare," Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) told The Wall Street Journal.
However, not all are in support of the proposal. The subsidy extension plan is facing opposition from conservatives, including some presidential candidates.
"I do not believe we should extend subsidies," presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said after the Senate briefing on the proposal, according to the report.
More articles on health insurance subsidies:
King v. Burwell forecast: 3 experts on hospital, payer and state impact
'No easy fix' if Supreme Court rules against Obama administration in King v. Burwell
50% of subsidy-eligible US households would owe some repayment, analysis shows