March 4, 2015

8 Million More Uninsured: What Could Happen If the Supreme Court Rules Against Obamacare

A quick look at the possible impacts of the big health care case being heard today.


Today, the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in King v. Burwell, the biggest challenge to the Affordable Care Act since the court first considered the law’s fate in 2012. If the justices side with the Obamacare-hating activists and unlikely plaintiffs behind the latest case, they could nix subsidies for people buying health coverage on federal insurance exchanges. Here’s a quick look at the potential impact of that decision:

 

 

Sources

13.4 million losing subsidies: Kaiser Family Foundation

37 states: Kaiser Family Foundation

8.2 million losing insurance: Urban Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

9,800 deaths: Amicus brief filed by American Public Health Association et al. (PDF)

Premiums jumping 35%: Urban Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

56% haven’t heard of case: Kaiser Family Foundation

 

Icons by Rediffusion/The Noun Project (botlle) and Lorie Shaull/The Noun Project (RBG)

 

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And the stakes are high. Democracy is on the defense. We’ve been exposing corruption and scandal for five decades, and this is a pivotal moment in our country’s history. Will democracy prevail? We won’t wait for time to tell—independent journalism is essential for democracy, and we’ll keep doing our part to amplify the free press.

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