Experts from the Urban Institute, with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, have compiled a two-page overview explaining potential effects of the pending King v. Burwell Supreme Court ruling. The authors predict that a ruling in favor of King could result in 8.2 million fewer Americans having health insurance in 2016. The brief is being released as the nation awaits a ruling on the legality of subsidies being provided to consumers for insurance purchased through the federal marketplaces—a ruling that could come as early as this Thursday, June 18th. The overview also breaks down who would lose insurance by race, region, and income, and details the federal funding that could be lost by states that utilize the federal marketplace as their insurance exchange.
“The real world effects of a ruling in favor of King amount to millions of fewer Americans having health insurance and state economies missing out on billions in federal revenues,” said Kathy Hempstead, who directs coverage issues at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “The individual insurance market would be severely affected, with millions fewer purchasing insurance, including young, healthy individuals who help to keep premiums low for the broader population.”
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To discuss these findings and the upcoming Supreme Court decision, several experts are available, including Kathy Hempstead, director of coverage issues at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; John Holahan, Institute fellow at the Urban Institute; Linda Blumberg, senior fellow at the Urban Institute; and Matthew Buettgens, senior research associate at the Urban Institute.
To schedule an interview with one of the experts listed above either before or after the Supreme Court ruling, please contact Frank Walsh at [email protected] or 504-309-5164.
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Four previously released reports recapped in the new overview include:
- The Implications of a Supreme Court Finding for the Plaintiff in King vs. Burwell
- Characteristics of Those Affected by a Supreme Court Finding for the Plaintiff in King v. Burwell
- Health Care Spending by Those Becoming Uninsured if the Supreme Court Finds for the Plaintiff in King v. Burwell Would Fall by at Least 35 Percent
- The Combined Effect of Not Expanding Medicaid and Losing Marketplace Assistance
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For more than 40 years the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. We are striving to build a national Culture of Health that will enable all to live longer, healthier lives now and for generations to come. For more information, visit www.rwjf.org. Follow the Foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.
