Supreme Court gives Obama second big health care win

NASHVILLE -- Tennessee Democrats hailed today's U.S. Supreme Court ruling upholding the national tax subsidies for 8.7 million people through the federal Affordable Care Act while some state Republicans are blasting it.

The ruling preserved the subsidies for between 155,000 to 250,000 Tennesseans, according to various estimates. At issue was whether federal subsidies were legal in states like Tennessee that did not set up their own web-based health care exchanges where people can register for and enroll in coverage with private insurers.

Democratic U.S. Reps. Jim Cooper of Nashville and Steve Cohen of Memphis praised the 6-3 ruling and used it to press Tennessee Republican officials to move ahead with the other part of President Barack Obama's health care law -- the expansion of Medicaid to an estimated 280,000 low-income Tennesseans.

Cooper said in a statement the ruling affects not just those with the federal subsidies but also the insurance market and the preservation of benefits in the Affordable Care Act. For instance, health care insurers can no longer deny people for pre-existing conditions, and young adults can stay on a parent's insurance plan until they turn 26, Cooper said.

Moreover, the congressman said, "Tennessee legislators said they were waiting for the ruling" in order to act on Medicaid expansion. "We now have it. They should finish the job and provide protection for all Tennesseans by passing Insure Tennessee."

Cohen said, "I hope that this ruling will help the nation to see that the Affordable Care Act is a federal law that is helping Americans stay healthy and alive, and that it is here to stay. I also remain hopeful that the Tennessee General Assembly will finally act to expand Medicaid so that our citizens can access the same benefits of the law that residents of other states do."

Tennessee Senate Republicans twice killed in committees a plan by Republican Gov. Bill Haslam to use federal Medicaid dollars available under ObamaCare to extend health coverage to low-income Tennesseans.

One of GOP lawmakers problems was that the King vs. Burwell case was still pending before the Supreme Court. If the the federal subsidies were ruled unconstitutional in states like Tennessee, which don't have a state-operated exchange, it would have gutted Obamacare, Republicans said.

U.S. Rep. Diane Black, R-Tenn., a nurse, slammed the Supreme Court ruling and said "we as conservatives must redouble our efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare."

"Today's irresponsible Supreme Court decision does not change the fact that Obamacare is a fundamentally broken law that has failed to deliver on its most basic promises," Black said in a statement. "I am deeply disappointed that the court shirked its duty as a coequal branch of government by not acting to hold this President accountable for following his own laws, but my resolve to erase Obamacare remains stronger than ever."

One thing is "certain," Black said. "If this disastrous law is to be stopped, it will require strong leadership from Congress. We as conservatives must redouble our efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare. That is what Americans voted for at the ballot box last November and that is what they expect from us today."

Tennessee Republican Party Chairman Ryan Haynes said in his own statement that "ObamaCare was created, passed, and implemented on a party-line basis. Democrats essentially shoved this down the throats of Americans and it is disheartening to see the Court develop another avenue to keep this hurtful law alive."

U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., charged that "today the Supreme Court failed to recognize how terribly flawed President Obama's health care law is for millions of Georgians suffering under the law's health insurance premium spikes and intrusive mandates.

"Despite this action by the Supreme Court I will continue to work with my Senate colleagues to repeal and replace Obamacare," Isakson said in his statement.

Families USA, a Washington-based health care advocacy group that supports the law, estimates 16,000 in Tennessee's 3rd Congressional District (Chattanooga, Oak Ridge) are using the federal subsidies while another 16,000 in the 4th Congressional District (Cleveland, Murfreesboro) are.

Jessica Ellis, right, with "yay 4 ACA" sign, and other supporters of the Affordable Care Act, react with cheers as the opinion for health care is reported outside of the Supreme Court in Washington,Thursday June 25, 2015. The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the nationwide tax subsidies under President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, in a ruling that preserves health insurance for millions of Americans.

Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander, chairman of the senate health committee said "it's unfortunate that the Supreme Court didn't read the law the way that Congress wrote it. The 36 percent increase in some individual health care rates announced recently should remind Tennesseans that Obamacare was an historic mistake."

Sen. Bob Corker said the ruling "affirms that it is up to Congress to come together around a responsible solution that provides relief from the damaging effects of the president's health care law, including policies to provide far greater choice in the marketplace so affordable plans that meet the actual needs of Tennesseans can openly and effectively compete for their business."

Reaction from medical community

Health industry leaders, doctors and health advocates were cheering the decision Thursday morning.

BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee vice president of communications Roy Vaughn said the decision "helps ensure that BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee can continue to provide the security and stability of health insurance to the people of our community, no matter who they are or how they purchase coverage."

The CEO of American Exchange, a Chattanooga-based company that specializes in helping people buy off of the exchanges, said the "should be the final political shot at the Affordable Care Act."

"I hope that our country can start to see the good in the bill," said CEO Bobby Huffaker. "We have thousands of clients who were never able to obtain coverage and were completely dependent on their employer to purchase health insurance pre ACA."

Michelle Johnson, director of the Nashville-based advocacy group the Tennessee Justice Center said Thursday that the decision can now allow Tennessee lawmakers to focus on Insure Tennessee, Gov. Bill Haslam's plan to expand health coverage to 280,000 people through the Affordable Care Act.

"We are relieved that these families can continue to have the health care and financial peace of mind that health coverage provides," Johnson said. "But the ruling makes us all the more aware that nearly 300,000 other Tennesseans still live with the dangers and fears that go with being uninsured, simply because our legislature has not yet approved Governor Haslam's plan."

The American Medical Association released a statement saying they were "relieved" by the decision.

"The subsidies upheld today help patients afford health insurance so they can see a doctor when they need one and not have to wait until a small health problem becomes a crisis," said Dr. Steven J. Stack, president of the association. "The subsidies provide patients with peace of mind that they will not risk bankruptcy should they become seriously ill or injured and experience catastrophic health care costs."

U.S. Rep Chuck Fleischmann said he agreed with dissenting Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia that "this decision is 'quite absurd.'"

"Today confirmed what we have said all along: Obamacare is a poorly written law that was not read by the Members of Congress who passed it," Fleischmann said in a statement. "Although this is a setback, it is by no means the end of our fight. I will continue to work to repeal Obamacare and replace it with true free market healthcare reform that benefits hardworking families and businesses in East Tennessee."