Washington, DC – Today the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 for the government in King v. Burwell, upholding the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) health insurance subsidies in states that do not have state-based insurance exchanges. U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), who voted for the ACA and was deeply involved in crafting the law as a member of the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions, released the statement below regarding the decision:
“Today, once again, the Supreme Court affirmed that the Affordable Care Act is here to stay. That’s good news for the millions of Americans who might have lost their insurance if the tax credits had been eliminated – and of course a relief for Republicans who for years sought the law’s repeal without ever once coming up with a serious plan to replace it. Now that these legal challenges are behind us, it’s time to recognize – and celebrate – three simple facts: one, the Affordable Care Act has helped more than 16 million Americans, including over 100,000 Rhode Islanders, gain affordable health insurance; two, seniors have saved big on prescriptions and with other benefits; and three, the ACA framework for reform has been taken up by Rhode Island doctors like Coastal Medical and the RI Primary Care Physicians Corporation to provide better care at lower cost. It is making a real difference in the lives of our fellow citizens, and I am proud to have worked on it.”
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