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Obama Administration Plans To Appeal Federal Court Ruling On Subsidized Health Coverage
By: Andy Chow | Statehouse News Bureau
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A Washington, D.C.-based appeals court ruled that – according to the Affordable Care Act, also known as ObamaCare – people can only receive the subsidies if they bought their insurance through a state-run marketplace and not through the federal exchange. But just hours later a Virginia appeals court ruled that the subsidies apply to all states.
Ohio was one of 36 states that opted to use the federal exchange. Cathy Levine with Universal Health Care Action Network Ohio said this argument is based on a piece of ambiguous language in the law.
"The interpretation by the opponents of the law flies in the face of the clear congressional intent which is that people get subsidies regardless if they’re in the state or in the federal marketplace," Levine said.
Levine said the latter court’s decision proves this point. She adds that Ohioans will not see an immediate impact from the ruling.
Ohio’s department of insurance said it’s still reviewing the decision to understand the full impact on the ruling which the Obama Administration plans to appeal.