After much anticipation and uncertainty, the Supreme Court made its decision on Thursday morning and upheld subsidies for people who get their health insurance through the federal marketplace.
That means more than 100,000 Central Floridians will be able to keep their Obamacare health insurance, because their subsidies aren’t going away.
“We’re breathing a huge sigh of relief,” said Wes Fischer, founder and principal at The Health Insurance Store in Kissimmee.
Had the subsidies gone away, “it would have completely disrupted the health insurance market in the short run,” Fischer said.
Local hospitals were also happy.
“We are pleased with the Supreme Court ruling and what it means for the thousands of Central Florida residents who have insurance through the federal exchange,” said Kena Lewis, spokeswoman for Orlando Health, in a statement.
“We are pleased that many Floridians will be able to continue to receive affordable health care coverage that allows them access to primary and preventative care,” Florida Hospital said in a statement.
Clinics had worried about their ability to deal with the patient load if the Supreme Court ruled against ACA.
“Had those individuals lost that coverage through their subsidy denial, they would have had to return to us as their primary care and we quite frankly would not have been able to absorb the capacity,” said Marni Stahlman, president and CEO of the free clinic Shepherd’s Hope.
Stahlman and other clinics across the state are still recovering from a blow Tuesday, when Gov. Rick Scott vetoed a $9.5 million appropriation for free and charitable clinics.
“We never imagined it could happen. We are in shock,” the The Florida Association of Free and Charitable Clinics said in a statement on Wednesday.
Stahlman was able to use last year’s state money to move forward with electronic health records and now she has to look for another way to continue funding the operations.
“It’s a 1-2 punch,” Stahlman said. “It’s not going to knock us out. It just means we’re going to have to look for other funding resources.”
Stahlman said that the Supreme Court ruling slightly mitigated the veto, but “we still see patients who don’t qualify for subsidies.”
Meanwhile, navigators and insurance providers can now turn their attention toward preparing for the third round of Obamacare enrollment later this year.
“The third season will be more competitive. There’s more at stake, because the penalty goes up to $690 a person or 2-percent of your salary,” Fischer said.
“So we’re doubling down our efforts… because there will be at least one, maybe two more good seasons before something may or may not happen in two years,” he said.
