On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in King v. Burwell, in which plaintiffs claim the government cannot provide premium tax credits and other insurance subsidies that help low and moderate-income individuals and families afford health insurance in states using a federal health care exchange.
If the court rules against the government, women, who make up 55 percent of those enrolled in the federal marketplaces, will be hardest hit. The National Women’s Law Center estimates that 2.5 million women already receive premium tax credits to purchase health insurance, and many of them get cost-sharing reductions as well, making their deductibles and copayments more affordable.
Here are seven facts about women who will face disaster if SCOTUS rules the wrong way on King v. Burwell:
  1. Nearly 7 million women could lose their tax credit eligibility.
  2. Almost half of those 7 million are women of color.
  3. 1.8 million are Latinas.
  4. 250,000 are Asian women.
  5. 106,000 are Native American.
  6. More than 1.2 million at risk of losing the financial help they need are women living in Texas.
  7. More than 900,000 are living in Florida.
Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, women can no longer be discriminated against merely because of their gender, and they and their families finally have the security of having comprehensive health coverage.
The National Women’s Law Center points out that by going after the premium tax credits available to millions of women, the entire health care law will be put on shaky ground. This is the clear intent by Republicans. The law’s success is reliant upon “reforming the health insurance market, requiring individuals to purchase health insurance, and providing financial help for individuals to purchase coverage.”
Without the financial help, the insurance market will fall apart in the states and premiums will soar, leaving women and their families to go without insurance once again.