As a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling, Iowa’s health insurance model will remain intact.
King v. Burwell dealt with imprecise wording that called into question whether states participating in the federal healthcare exchange could receive subsidies that lower the cost of insurance premiums.
Because it uses a state-federal partnership exchange, it was unclear how much federal money Iowa stood to lose. But Pete Damiano of the University of Iowa’s Public Policy Center, says this ruling means Iowans will continue to receive federally-subsidized premiums.
"The people who are eligible for subsidies, primarily single adults up to 400 percent of poverty, will still be eligible to purchase subsidized private insurance through the exchanges regardless of what state you are in."
The ruling was a 6-3 vote. Chief Justice John Roberts penned the majority opinion. Justices Scalia, Alito and Thomas dissented.
On this edition of River to River, host Ben Kieffer talks with Damiano about the decision. Legal expert Ryan Koopmans also joins the conversation.
