King v. Burwell: Oral arguments on Obamacare
The Supreme Court heard arguments in a case known as King v. Burwell, a challenge to the subsidies included in the Affordable Care Act — or Obamacare, as some may call it.
Marketplace’s Dan Gorenstein was in the Supreme Court Chamber Wednesday morning for arguments. He says, one of the big takeaways from the hearing was that the justices all seemed to get it.
“While they spent 84 minutes debating legal theory, the most vocal justices on the left and the right spoke to the potential real world impact,” says Gorenstein. “We’re talking about millions of Americans potentially losing their insurance.”
Both Justice Antonin Scalia and Justice Samuel Alito, in a way, offered some sorts of contingency plans.
“Scalia talked about Congress coming up with a solution if these subsidies go away,” says Gorenstein. “Alito mentioned that the subsidies wouldn’t have to be eliminated immediately, potentially buying Congress some time.”
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