Supreme Court Ruling A Victory For Florida, Obamacare

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A major victory for the 1.6 million people in Florida who have insurance through the federal health insurance marketplace.

On Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that they can continue receiving subsidies to defray costs. The 6-3 decision, written by Chief Justice John Roberts who was joined in the majority by justices Anthony Kennedy, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan.

Ninety-three percent of those in the state who have insurance through the federal marketplace receive subsidies. The premium tax credit saves them an average of nearly $300 per person.

“Today’s Supreme Court ruling is a victory for millions of Americans, including 72,000 people in my congressional district, who will keep access to their quality, affordable health care coverage. For far too long before the Affordable Care Act, millions of people were denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions such as being a woman, or a medical condition such as diabetes,” wrote U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz in a statement. “The ACA did away with all that, while lowering costs and reducing the rate of people who are uninsured. As a breast cancer survivor and one of tens of millions of Americans with a pre-existing condition, today’s ruling is personal for me.”

Wasserman Schultz added that “This ruling should also mark the end of Republicans’ never-ending quest to gut the Affordable Care Act. Twice our nation’s highest court has given its stamp of approval to the ACA; it is unquestionably the law of the land. Instead of constant political games, Congress must work together to continue improving the ACA and states should work with the federal government to provide coverage for all of their citizens.”

“I disagree with the Court’s ruling and believe they have once again erred in trying to correct the mistakes made by President Obama and Congress in forcing Obamacare on the American people,” countered Senator Marco Rubio. “Despite the Court’s decision, ObamaCare is still a bad law that is having a negative impact on our country and on millions of Americans. I remain committed to repealing this bad law and replacing it with my consumer-centered plan that puts patients and families back in control of their health care decisions.”

Florida is number one in the nation when it comes to the number of people who bought insurance through the federal marketplace. The top 10 ZIP codes where the most people enrolled nationwide are all in South Florida, including four in Hialeah, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.

Florida is just one of 34 states that don’t run their own marketplace for health insurance.

http://miami.cbslocal.com/2015/06/25/supreme-court-ruling-a-victory-for-florida-obamacare/