(MPRN-Lansing) About 230,000 Michiganders receive the federal healthcare subsidies upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday.
A number of state officials cheered the ruling. They say losing the subsidies would likely have meant higher premiums for everyone shopping on the health exchange in Michigan.
“This is actually fantastic news for almost 300,000 Michigan citizens who can keep their insurance and keep their subsidy and be able to insure themselves and their family,”
said Patrick McPharlin, director of the Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services.
“So this is an extremely positive day.”
Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette, on the other hand, blasted the ruling.
"The Affordable Care Act violated the very first principle of medicine: Do no harm. The Court's ruling today continues the harm inflicted by Obamacare,"
Schuette said. Gov. Rick Snyder’s reaction was fairly neutral on the merits of the ruling itself. But he says he is glad the state can now move on.
“We appreciate that the deep uncertainty of this issue has been resolved. The health and wellbeing of the people of Michigan is always a top priority,” Snyder said in a statement. "Regardless of feelings on the Affordable Care Act, it’s vital to our state that we continue working to improve and reform health care, create more and better jobs, and build a brighter future for our kids right here in Michigan.”
Snyder said the state can now focus on getting a federal waiver needed to continue the Healthy Michigan program – which expanded Medicaid under the federal healthcare law. Nearly 600,000 people now get their health insurance through the Healthy Michigan program.
