After all of the novel theories and nuanced legal arguments made by supporters and opponents of Obamacare over the many months this case has been pending, the Supreme Court’s decision in King v. Burwell essentially came down to this: denying health insurance subsidies to lower-income people in 34 states would have been so disastrous that Congress could not have intended that result when it passed the Affordable Care Act. As the Court’s opinion pointed out, “Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them.”
In a 6-3 decision in King v. Burwell, the United States Supreme Court rejected the latest challenge to the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), declaring that health insurance subsidies are available to residents of all states.
Somebody has leaked to us the entrance exam for the ultra-prestigious ACME School of Public Health, designed to determine whether applicants can reason through challenging public health dilemmas:
You are an aspiring health czar for the nation, and listed below are facts for you to consider and then two potential courses of action for you to choose.
“Today, the key to halting the HIV/AIDS epidemic is access to affordable, reliable and comprehensive care, and the need is especially critical for vulnerable communities of color.”