Followingtoday's ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, Illinois residents who bought health insurance under the affordable care act will get to keep tax credits that cut the cost of their plans.
The question before the court was if federal subsidies could be given out in states, including Illinois, that did not build their own online marketplaces.
Illinois uses the federal exchange at Healthcare.gov. More then two thirds of Illinoisans who purchased insurance through it receive the cost-cutting subsidies that average about $2,500 a year. If the ruling had gone the other way, the over 200,000 in Illinois who receive the assistance could have seen their premiums more than double. The coverage would likely have been unaffordable for many and Obamacare could have collapsed.
At issue was the wording of the law. The court’s opinion said it was “implausible” that Congress would have intended for subsidies to apply only in state’s that built their own exchanges.
