Responsibility to Find Patient-Centered Solutions

This week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in King v. Burwell. Though it serves as a needed check on the Obama administration’s health care overreach, this case could have significant impacts on Nebraskans and people across the country.

The Court must determine whether the insurance subsidies provided by the President’s health care law to those who purchased plans on the federal exchange are illegal. The law as written says subsidies are only available to individuals who purchase insurance through state exchanges, but the administration expanded these subsidies to include those who purchased insurance from federal government-run Healthcare.gov.

If the Supreme Court rules in favor of the King plaintiffs and against Obamacare’s subsidies, it will be a win for the rule of law and an opportunity to pursue patient-centered solutions.

However, due to the administration’s disregard for their own rules in their health care law, millions of people could be stuck with Obamacare insurance they cannot afford in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling. Others could face losing their coverage and be fined for violating the law’s individual mandate.

Nebraskans already suffered a destructive Obamacare failure with the collapse of CoOportunity Health, a Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan (CO-OP) created under the President’s health care law. CoOportunity Health’s impending liquidation has left tens of thousands of Nebraskans once again searching for insurance with even fewer options.

Last month, I introduced legislation to exempt CO–OP customers, including Nebraskans who purchased policies through CoOportunity Health, from paying Obamacare’s individual mandate penalties. Americans should not be punished under a law when the law’s own failed program prevented compliance.

With CoOportunity Health’s failure fresh in our minds, we must make it a priority to find solutions in advance of the Supreme Court’s decision in King v. Burwell. The U.S. House of Representatives is committed to ensuring Americans do not bear the burden if the Supreme Court determines the administration has violated the law.

Three House committees including Ways and Means, the committee on which I serve, are leading the charge to craft alternatives to Obamacare which restore power to the states and institute patient-centered reforms. These efforts include repealing the individual mandate, providing tax credits to individuals and families to buy insurance and allowing consumers to purchase plans across state lines.

As we pursue responsible health care solutions, I would appreciate hearing how Obamacare has impacted you. On my website at www.AdrianSmith.house.gov/YourStory, you can contact me directly about your experiences. Hearing your firsthand accounts allows me to more effectively serve you.

Knowing the hardships many Nebraskans experienced in the wake of CoOportunity Health’s collapse, I will continue working with my House colleagues to address that failure and prepare for the Supreme Court’s decision in King v. Burwell. It is our responsibility to be ready with consumer-centered alternatives to give Americans the choices and quality of care they deserve.