The Latest On Health Overhaul: US Senators Call For Repeal
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — The latest South Dakota reaction to the Supreme Court’s decision on challenge to federal health care overhaul (all times local):
10:45 a.m.
South Dakota’s U.S. senators say they will keep pushing to repeal the Affordable Care Act after the Supreme Court upheld a key part for the second time in recent years.
Mike Rounds and John Thune, both Republicans, said Thursday that the federal health overhaul is a flawed disaster for consumers. Thune says the Republican-held Senate is committed to replacing the law with “patient-centered reforms.”
Rounds says Senate Republicans’ goal is to offer affordable coverage in a competitive marketplace. He says South Dakotans deserve better than the Affordable Care Act.
The high court’s decision to uphold subsidies means about 16,800 South Dakota consumers who bought coverage through the exchange in the past year will continue receiving federal premium assistance that makes the insurance affordable.
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10:20 a.m.
Sanford Health Plan interim President Jeff Sandene says the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold subsidies that make health insurance affordable for South Dakotans shopping through the federal marketplace is a “relief.”
Sanford offers coverage in South Dakota through the federal marketplace. The carrier has about 2,200 members covered through the exchange, with more than 1,800 getting subsidies.
Sandene says he’s not surprised the high court kept the health care law intact. He says the news is good for consumers and patients.
About 16,800 South Dakota consumers who bought coverage through the exchange in the past year get a subsidy.
Sandene says the firm was waiting for the decision and would have worked with lawmakers for a fix if the court had thrown out the subsidies.
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10:10 a.m.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Dennis Daugaard says the state doesn’t have to change its current approach to the federal health overhaul law because the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to uphold insurance subsidies for consumers.
Kelsey Pritchard says the Supreme Court’s decision means the state doesn’t need to act to try to replace the subsidies.
The high court’s decision means subsidies stay in place for consumers in more than 30 states, including South Dakota, who sign up for coverage under the federal marketplace.
The administration had been weighing how to respond if the court struck down the subsidies, which aided about 16,800 South Dakota consumers who bought coverage through the exchange in the past year.
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9:30 a.m.
A South Dakota woman who gets subsidized coverage through the federal health exchange says she’s relieved by the U.S. Supreme Court decision upholding those subsidies.
Kelsey Collier-Wise reacted just moments after the high court on Thursday upheld a key provision of the Affordable Care Act.
The high court’s decision upholds insurance premium subsidies for consumers in more than 30 states, including South Dakota, who sign up for coverage under the federal marketplace.
The subsidies mean roughly 16,800 South Dakota consumers who bought coverage through the exchange during the 2015 enrollment period will continue getting an average of $229 in premium assistance a month.
