SCOTUS decision: California v. Texas

Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in California v. Texas, the lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) after Congress enacted legislation to eliminate the tax penalty on those without coverage, which was meant to enforce the law’s “individual mandate” to obtain health insurance. 

On June 17, in a 7-2 decision, the Court ruled the plaintiff states lacked standing to sue and dismissed the case. In a statement released following the ruling, BCBSA’s president and CEO Kim Keck noted,

“Today’s decision now gives the nation an opportunity to meaningfully tackle the underlying cost of health care – one of the most critical challenges in the health care system. As we’ve seen throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s more important than ever that everyone has access to affordable health care, no matter who you are, where you live or what your health condition may be. It’s time to build on what we have to make our health care system more affordable and equitable to work better for everyone.”

See the full statement.