Federal Judge Upholds Health Care Subsidies
By ROBERT PEAR, NYT, JAN. 15, 2014
WASHINGTON — A federal judge rejected a legal challenge on Wednesday to a central part of President Obama’s health care law, ruling that millions of low- and moderate-income people could obtain health insurance subsidies regardless of whether they bought coverage through the federal insurance exchange or in marketplaces run by the states.
Critics of the law had said that a literal reading of it would allow subsidies only in the 14 states that ran their own exchanges. But the judge, Paul L. Friedman of the Federal District Court here, said that was absurd and contrary to the whole purpose of the Affordable Care Act.
“The plain text of the statute, the statutory structure and the statutory purpose make clear that Congress intended to make premium tax credits available on both state-run and federally facilitated exchanges,” Judge Friedman said.
After analyzing the law and its legislative history, he said, “Congress assumed that tax credits would be available nationwide” and “on any exchange, regardless of whether it is operated by a state” or by federal officials.
(More here.)
WASHINGTON — A federal judge rejected a legal challenge on Wednesday to a central part of President Obama’s health care law, ruling that millions of low- and moderate-income people could obtain health insurance subsidies regardless of whether they bought coverage through the federal insurance exchange or in marketplaces run by the states.
Critics of the law had said that a literal reading of it would allow subsidies only in the 14 states that ran their own exchanges. But the judge, Paul L. Friedman of the Federal District Court here, said that was absurd and contrary to the whole purpose of the Affordable Care Act.
“The plain text of the statute, the statutory structure and the statutory purpose make clear that Congress intended to make premium tax credits available on both state-run and federally facilitated exchanges,” Judge Friedman said.
After analyzing the law and its legislative history, he said, “Congress assumed that tax credits would be available nationwide” and “on any exchange, regardless of whether it is operated by a state” or by federal officials.
(More here.)
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