Ron Bliss guest column: Supreme Court ruling on ObamaCare win for common man

The Supreme decision this past week was mildly surprising to me – not that I didn’t expect a decision affirming ObamaCare. What surprised me was the 6-3 margin.

It was a victory for the common man – those who otherwise could not afford healthcare. Chaos would have resulted had the subsidies been taken away for the states that did not form their own exchanges. I think it was clear to the court that the original intent was to provide subsidies to all the states, not just the ones that formed their own exchanges.

Even more surprising are the polls that say 63 percent of Americans polled agree with the Supreme Court’s decision. That shows how ObamaCare’s popularity has steadily grown as folks see the usefulness of the plan. In the long run, rates should go down as more and more people take advantage of the subsidies offered.

The larger the pool, the less medical procedures being performed will impact rates. We saw a drop in premiums from 2014 to 2015 with some providers on the Nevada exchange putting themselves in position to better compete. We may see a similar drop in the future – though some rates this year were turned in for consideration for by state departments of insurance before the supreme court ruling and may have been artificially high this to protect the companies, in the case the subsidies were denied.

The fact preventive care is now included free of charge should also impact rates in a positive way in the long run because conditions will be detected early and not be as expensive to treat.

ObamaCare should be here for years to come, though I see it being tweaked by the new Congress to make necessary improvements.

While open enrollment is closed, those with a change of life can still get plans. Among the reasons that would allow enrollment now include loss of insurance, change in marital status, a birth or death in the family, change in income through promotion or loss of a job or if they have moved out of a coverage area. If you feel you might qualify, contact us at Affordable Healthcare Pros at 775-224-7169, 775-450-6769, 775-450-6867 or 775-450-7754. We are located at 2307 N. Carson Street in Carson City. Feel free to drop by and see if we can help you. There is no charge for our services.

Ron Bliss is a former sports writer who has been working in the health insurance field since 2009. He is certified on both the Nevada Health Link and Covered California and also offers a variety of low-cost Medicare supplement plans, as well as other types of supplemental health insurance and life insurance.