States zero in on ObamaCare rescue plan
By Sarah Ferris – 06/08/15 06:00 AM EDT
It may be easier than expected for states to save their ObamaCare subsidies, if the Supreme Court rules against the law this month.
Two states — Pennsylvania and Delaware — said this week they would launch their own exchanges, if needed, to keep millions of healthcare dollars flowing after the decision. Both want to use existing pieces of the federal ObamaCare exchange, like its website and call center — a path that would be far less costly than the way most other states have created their exchanges.
If those plans win approval, many of the other 36 states that stand to lose their subsidies could then pursue a similarly simple strategy.
“I think that’s a pretty easy workaround,” Tom Scully, the former director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Bush administration, said about the two states’ plans.
“The administration has a lot of flexibility, potentially, to define a state exchange,” he added.
But that would spell trouble for Republicans who view the King v. Burwell case as their best chance yet to dismantle Obama’s healthcare law. GOP members of Congress have repeatedly said they must create a backup plan for states so that they are forced to make ObamaCare “fixes.”
With the ruling inching closer, many of the 34 states that could lose big from the King v. Burwell ruling have been quietly plotting how to avert the potential chaos from a decision against the Obama administration.
https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/244186-for-states-an-obamacare-backup-plan-comes-into-focus
