March 4, 2015

8 Million More Uninsured: What Could Happen If the Supreme Court Rules Against Obamacare

A quick look at the possible impacts of the big health care case being heard today.


Today, the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in King v. Burwell, the biggest challenge to the Affordable Care Act since the court first considered the law’s fate in 2012. If the justices side with the Obamacare-hating activists and unlikely plaintiffs behind the latest case, they could nix subsidies for people buying health coverage on federal insurance exchanges. Here’s a quick look at the potential impact of that decision:

 

 

Sources

13.4 million losing subsidies: Kaiser Family Foundation

37 states: Kaiser Family Foundation

8.2 million losing insurance: Urban Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

9,800 deaths: Amicus brief filed by American Public Health Association et al. (PDF)

Premiums jumping 35%: Urban Institute, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

56% haven’t heard of case: Kaiser Family Foundation

 

Icons by Rediffusion/The Noun Project (botlle) and Lorie Shaull/The Noun Project (RBG)

 

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In "It's Not a Crisis. This Is the New Normal," we explain, as matter-of-factly as we can, what exactly our finances look like, how brutal it is to sustain quality journalism right now, what makes Mother Jones different than most of the news out there, and why support from readers is the only thing that keeps us going. Despite the challenges, we're optimistic we can increase the share of online readers who decide to donate—starting with hitting an ambitious $300,000 goal in just three weeks to make sure we can finish our fiscal year break-even in the coming months.

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