800k Texans Keep Their Health Insurance, Pissing Off Abbott, Paxton and Perry

However one might feel about the law, without doubt, the Affordable Care Act has helped Texans. As of March, the state's percentage of uninsured residents, still the highest in the United States, has dipped almost 8 points to 16.9 percent. The drop can be almost entirely attributed to people buying individual care through the federal healthcare exchange established by Obamacare, according to a survey released this spring by Rice University's Baker Institute and the Episcopal Health Foundation.

King vs. Burwell, a Supreme Court case decided Thursday, could have erased most of the gains made by previously uninsured Texans. Had the court sided with the plaintiff in the case, David King, the federal government would have no longer been allowed to provide insurance premium subsidies to people who bought their insurance through the federal exchange. Only those who bought insurance through state exchanges would have been eligible for subsidies — basically because of some imprecise wording in the 900-page ACA. Texas, under the leadership of Governors Rick Perry and Greg Abbott, has refused to set up a state exchange. Luckily for the many Texans who get their subsidized insurance through the federal exchange, the court sided with the feds in this case.

Abbott, Perry and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are angry so many Texans will be able to keep and continue to afford their insurance coverage.

From Abbott:

“The Supreme Court abandoned the Constitution to resuscitate a failing healthcare law. Today’s action underscores why it is now more important than ever to ensure we elect a President who will repeal Obamacare and enact real healthcare reforms.”

From Perry:

"The Obama Administration has ignored the text of the Affordable Care Act time and again, and today’s ruling allows them to continue to disregard the letter of the law. While I disagree with the ruling, it was never up to the Supreme Court to save us from Obamacare. We need leadership in the White House that recognizes the folly of having to pass a bill to know what’s in it. We need leadership that understands a heavy-handed, one-size-fits-all policy does nothing to help health outcomes for Americans.

With individual premiums up more than 50 percent and nearly 5 million people losing their health plans, Americans deserve better than what we’re getting with Obamacare. It’s time we repealed Obamacare and replaced it with truly affordable, patient centered-health care reform, and I look forward to laying out my ideas on this issue."

Finally, from Paxton:

“This is unfortunate news for the millions of Americans who have experienced first-hand the devastating effects Obamacare has had on their families and businesses. While today’s ruling is disappointing, Obamacare remains one of the broadest overreaches of federal authority in our nation’s history and we must continue to call on our leaders in Washington to step up and put an end to this job-killing law.”

Locally, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, a strong supporter of the ACA, struck a different, borderline gleeful tone. 

That loud sighing sound was 10m Americans showing relief that the latest special interest attempt to steal their health coverage failed

— Judge Clay Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) June 25, 2015

ACA is here to stay!

— Judge Clay Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) June 25, 2015

It's settled and its time Texas! Accept Medicaid expansion and provide coverage to over 1 million Texans. #KingvBurwell #SCOTUS

— Judge Clay Jenkins (@JudgeClayJ) June 25, 2015