The Supreme Court of the United States has once again upheld President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
In a 6-3 decision announced Thursday, the highest court in the country ruled in favor of the President’s controversial health care law, commonly referred to as Obamacare, for a second time.
The ruling ensures that the Affordable Care Act can continue to authorize federal tax credits for eligible Americans living in states with their own exchanges, as well as in the 34 states with federal marketplaces.
Challengers argued the federal government should not be allowed to give subsidies to people living in states without their own health insurance exchanges.
“Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in the majority opinion. “If at all possible, we must interpret the Act in a way that is consistent with the former, and avoids the latter.”
While speaking about the decision on Thursday, Obama noted the issue arose from a “twisted interpretation of four words” in the Affordable Care Act.
Had the SCOTUS ruled in favor of those challenging the subsidies that help make health care more affordable, Congress would have been faced with the task of adjusting the law’s language, leaving subsidies only available to those who purchase insurance on exchanges “established by the state.”
“Part of what’s bizarre about this whole thing is we haven’t had a lot of conversation about the horrors of Obamacare because none of them have come to pass,” Obama said during a press conference held in Germany on Thursday. “You’ve got 16 million people who have gotten health insurance. The overwhelming majority of them are satisfied with the health insurance.”
Hillary Clinton, a 2016 presidential candidate and former Secretary of State for Obama’s administration, took to Twitter to celebrate the ruling: “Yes! SCOTUS affirms what we know is true in our hearts & under the law: Health insurance should be affordable & available to all.”
Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio joined others in his party denouncing the decision.
“I disagree with the Court’s ruling and believe they have once again erred in trying to correct the mistakes made by President Obama and Congress in forcing Obamacare on the American people,” the Florida senator said. “I remain committed to repealing this bad law and replacing it with my consumer-centered plan that puts patients and families back in control of their health care decisions.”