Local Obamacare consumers granted reprieve
"Having health insurance has been a Godsend for me, and I did not want not to have insurance," said the 63-year-old
Campbell signed up for subsidized coverage last year through
But the question before the high court was whether her subsidy should be withdrawn because it not provided through a marketplace, or insurance exchange "established by the state," as the law was written.
A decision against the subsidies in 37 states could have potentially displaced more than 6 million Americans who rely on them, including more than 161,000 Ohioans, according to figures from the
For Campbell, a ruling in favor of the plaintiffs would have effectively raised her monthly insurance premium by more than
"I couldn't afford that," said Campbell, who lives on a limited income from a retirement account. "I would have been forced to try to find cheaper insurance on my own or go back to paying out of pocket. Before I signed up for insurance (through the marketplace), I was basically paying out of pocket for my medical care, which was extremely expensive. I'm a diabetic, and I've had some other health issues that mean I have to see a doctor.
"I never understood the opposition to the health care law," she said. "This program is working and providing health insurance for millions of people, so I don't understand why the
A ruling invalidating subsidies would not only have caused massive disruption in the health insurance marketplace for consumers but also for marketplace insurers, including
"We would expect a certain portion of the public to drop out" of the marketplaces, Coleman said. "The question is how dramatically would that affect risk pools for insurers."
Coleman was referring to what's known in the health insurance industry as "adverse selection," or the tendency of low-risk, healthy individuals to drop insurance coverage when prices increase, while very sick and expensive-to-treat customers hold onto their policies because they have no other choice. That forces insurance companies to raise premiums to cover higher costs.
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