(Bloomberg View) — Millions of Americans could find their health insurance plans endangered if the Supreme Court rules this summer that President Barack Obama's administration has broken the law in subsidizing them. The administration created this problem by pushing through a poorly written statute and lawlessly implementing it.
But congressional Republicans nonetheless should step up and solve the problem — and they should do it in a way that hastens the end of PPACA.
PPACA lets subsidies flow to insurance plans purchased on exchanges established by state governments. Since most states haven't set up exchanges, following the law would have required limiting the subsidies geographically. The administration decided to offer them more widely, to include plans purchased on federal exchanges in states that declined to establish their own. If the Supreme Court decides to reinstate the law's limits, millions of people whose plans are subsidized will suddenly face much higher premiums. And if they drop their coverage, it could cause premiums to rise for those who are left on the exchange, even people whose own plans aren't subsidized.
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