King v. Burwell

By Christine "Chris" Yanas, Director of Government Relations

Sometime before the end of June, the United States Supreme Court will be issuing a ruling in the King v. Burwell case that will decide whether financial assistance to consumers in the form of premium tax credits or subsidies will continue to be available in all states, or whether they will be eliminated from the approximately 36 states that offer insurance coverage through a federal health care marketplace, including Texas.

Should the Court decide to eliminate the premium tax credits for these states, the loss of the subsidies would be devastating to millions of families across the country that were able to secure affordable insurance coverage with the financial assistance of the federal government.

In Texas, as many as 1.4 million individuals, including thousands of children, could go uninsured if the Court rules against the government. Roughly 10 percent of Texas marketplace enrollees are children, meaning more than 100,000 Texas kids could be among those who lose coverage.

With the highest percentage of uninsured people in the country, Texas has the most to gain from the availability of affordable healthcare through the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and the most to lose if subsidies are taken away.

Infographic: Possible King v. Burwell Rulings

Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.'s (MHM) mission is "Serving Humanity to Honor God" by improving the physical, mental and spiritual health of low-income families and the uninsured in South Texas. We support and advocate for federal and statewide efforts to secure affordable coverage for all Texans. We pray that our Supreme Court justices affirm the provisions and intent of the ACA to provide financial assistance to qualifying families regardless of whether the healthcare marketplace is run by the federal government or the states.

Sources: Health Affairs, June 2015; Texas Hospital Association, THA.org.