WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The lawsuit being heard by the US Supreme Court challenging the legality of a federal subsidy for health care is cruel and does not make sense, US Senator Tim Kaine said in press conference.
“The lawsuit this week is very heartless,” Kaine said on Thursday. “The argument [against a federal health care subsidy] in addition to being heartless is nonsensical."
The Supreme Court began hearing the Burwell vs. King case this week, and will rule on whether a US federal subsidy to reduce the cost of health insurance for qualified individuals violates the 2010 Affordable Care Act also known as Obamacare.
Senator Kaine argued that the intent of the US Congress was clear in passing Obamacare and was meant “to provide subsidies to all who could not afford health insurance” regardless of what state they live in.
“If the Supreme Court just reads the statute the way it was written… then the answer to this lawsuit will be very, very easy,” Kaine said.
In case the Supreme Court rules that Obamacare’s intention was not to provide a federal subsidy to US states that did not set up their own health exchanges, it could mean 7.5 million people across 34 states could lose a federal subsidy that lowers the cost of insurance, according the US Department of Health and Human Services.
Opponents of the federal subsidy argue that it represents an illegal tax on Americans.
