Many health policy experts in Oregon are relieved Thursday, as the U.S. Supreme Court has upheld key aspects of the Affordable Care Act.
Sen. Alan Bates, D-Medford, said the court ruling was a "huge sigh of relief."
"This could have been a disaster if it had gone the other way," said Bates, who also works a family doctor in Medford.
The court found that tax credits on health insurance should be available to people who buy through both state and federal marketplaces.
Bates said he would have kept seeing patients if the decision had gone the other way, but many would no longer have insurance.
"We would have gone back to where we used to be where probably 20 to 30 percent of my patients didn’t have health insurance," he said. "To get them imaging and get them seen and get them medications, I’d give them samples. I’d find the cheapest way to get their medications for them. It was just a constant battle.”
President Obama welcomed the decision saying that now, after 50 votes in Congress to weaken the law, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay.
Copyright 2015 Oregon Public Broadcasting
