HealthDay News interviewed Manatt's Deborah Bachrach, a partner in the firm's Healthcare practice, for an article on the latest legal showdown over the Affordable Care Act. At issue are the federal subsidies that help lower monthly health-plan premiums for people in 34 states that use Healthcare.gov.
HeatlhDay News reports that petitioners in the case, King v. Burwell, argue that people who use the federal website to purchase insurance aren't entitled to receive subsidies to defray the cost of health insurance coverage. The Obama administration defends the Treasury Department's interpretation of the law, allowing subsidies to be used at the federal and state exchanges.
"For millions of people who were finally able to access coverage and care, they're going to have the rug pulled out from under them," said Bachrach.