SCOTUS Upholds ACA Subsidies (King v Burwell)

[Palmguy]

Decided 6-3 this morning; Scalia, Thomas and Alito dissenting.

The text of the ACA allows for subsidies from the federal government to people who purchase policies through state exchanges. This was specifically crafted this way to try to coerce the states into creating state exchanges, however less than 20 states did so. The feds proceeded to grant subsidies to people in those 30+ states that don't have state exchanges. The subsidies were challenged as illegal and this decision rejects that challenge and allows the subsidies to continue.

A realistic summary of the case from the dissent:

The Act that Congress passed makes tax credits available only on an "Exchange established by the State." This Court, however, concludes that this limitation would prevent the rest of the Act from working as well as hoped. So it rewrites the law to make tax credits available everywhere. We should start calling this law SCOTUScare.

[nova3930]

Rule of law is dead. R.I.P. 1776-2015

Love how Scalia put it in his dissent...

"The somersaults of statutory interpretation they have performed (“penalty” means tax, “further [Medicaid] payments to the State” means only incremental Medicaid payments to the State, “established by the State” means not established by the State) will be cited by litigants endlessly, to the confusion of honest jurisprudence. And the cases will publish forever the discouraging truth that the Supreme Court of the United States favors some laws over others, and is prepared to do whatever it takes to uphold and assist its favorites."

[Doc Safari]

This just furthers the collapse of our economy, our federal government, and our entire country.

One of these days the government checks will bounce...

[Alex V]

This is very discouraging

[Averageman]

Its suddenly becoming very warm and why are we in this hand basket?

[Doc Safari]

Its suddenly becoming very warm and why are we in this hand basket?

I am stealing that for my Sig line!

[SomeOtherGuy]

Rule of law is dead. R.I.P. 1776-2015

Hard to put an exact date on it, but there's hundreds of nails in its coffin now.

Those of us who try to believe in some principle of law greater than a fraud that some con-artists in DC can pretend they got 51% support for will need to refocus on something positive.

[brickboy240]

We will have to borrow some nails from China to finish sealing up the coffin.

[tb-av]

Certainly this is no surprise.

The O is on TV now gloating. No one laughed at his joke.

[ralph]

This just furthers the collapse of our economy, our federal government, and our entire country.

One of these days the government checks will bounce...

I hope so..the sooner the better!