Everyone's hedging their bets in the wake of legal challenges to the subsidies available to some of those insured through HealthCare.gov.

According to a variety of media sources, from Forbes to CNBC to Inside Health Policy, several major carriers who sold policies through the portal last year lobbied the Obama administration to gain a protective clause in contracts for 2015 sales. The clause would allow them to opt out of plans containing federal tax credits, or premium subsidies, if legal challenges outlawed them.

While this looks good on the surface, Moody's, whose business is weighing risks and rewards in the marketplace, says the protection might offer considerable less security.

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Dan Cook

Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.