WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The Affordable Care Act (ACA), or Obamacare, raised premiums and slashed benefits that has put US taxpayers in a difficult position, US House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner said in a statement.
“The law [Obamacare] has raised premiums, forced millions off their plan, and slashed benefits for seniors — all contrary to the promises made by this administration. Now, during tax filing season, the law is wreaking havoc on American taxpayers,” Boehner said on Wednesday.
Boehner’s remarks were released after the US Supreme Court heard oral arguments on Wednesday in the King vs. Burwell case. The case centers on the legality of subsidies offered to people under Obamacare.
During the Supreme Court hearing, Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg warned that the decision against Obamacare would leave millions of people without insurance.
The attorney for the plaintiffs Michael Carvin denied that the loss of subsidies would end Obamacare abruptly.
"There's not a scintilla of evidence that without the subsidies, there would be a death spiral," Carvin said.
One of the ACA supporters, US Secretary of Health and Human Services Sylvia Burwell, said in February that if the Supreme Court rules against Obamacare, the US healthcare system will be damaged because there are no other plans at present to replace the existing healthcare law.
The wife of one of the plaintiffs in the case, Pam Trainor Hurst, said millions of Americans have lost their plans or doctors because of Obamacare.
“We believe there is a better way to take care of the people who need help. But there is no reason to force millions of us to pay tax penalties if we don't join a government program,” Hurst said in a statement released by the Competitive Enterprise Institute, which prompted the lawsuit.
The White House insists that the ACA is a much-needed law that prohibits insurance companies from discriminating against people with pre-existing conditions, saves money, and insures higher quality care.
Two US government programs implemented through Obamacare, Medicare and Medicaid, provide insurance to 123 million US citizens, according to the White House.
