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Hoosiers divided on Supreme Court’s ruling

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Supreme Court’s ruling directly impacts Hoosiers, and just as our leaders are divided, so are the people.

One one hand, you have some who are concerned about how this would affect their own premiums or who is actually paying for the subsidies. On the other hand, you have those who know what it’s like to not be able to afford health care, who say the subsidies are necessary.

There are almost 200,000 Hoosiers benefiting from subsidies that make their health care more affordable, according to David Sklar of the Indiana Coalition for Human Services.

“The average subsidy is about $300 a month. Taking average premiums from somewhere in the range of $450 a month down to about $150 a month. So, I think it’s very reasonable to say that if the ruling had come back another way, that those individuals wouldn’t be able to afford health coverage,” said Sklar.

U.S. Senator Dan Coats isn’t on board, though. He’d like to see reforms to the Affordable Care Act and, what he calls, a better replacement.

“We lost a big one here. That’s unfortunate because I think the people deserve better than what they got,” said Sklar.

But what do the people think? Their views are just as divided. Ronald Troy Smith is in favor of the ruling, after, finding himself in a situation where he needed medical care, but could not afford it prior to the Affordable Care Act.

“You’re going to a nurse, to a doctor, sometimes they say, ‘Well, what’s your insurance?’ If you go there without insurance, then you have another set of challenges,” said Smith.

Sarah Martin is concerned that subsidies will affect her own pocket.

“It’s a lot of taxpayer’s money, for what? We’re already paying a lot. I feel like it’s never ending. What are they going to do next? I have to pay for other people’s kids to go to school. It’s unbelievable,” said Martin.

But ultimately, the Supreme Court had the final word. It ruled in favor of upholding tax subsidies regardless of the position you take.

The legal fight over healthcare overhaul, however, isn’t over. At least four issues related to the law are still being sorted out in the courts. But, even Senator Coats believes Thursday’s ruling, marks the end to legal challenges on the essential elements of the Affordable Care Act.