Republicans Could Be Toast In 2016 If Supreme Court Rules Against Obamacare Subsidies

Congressional Republicans are starting to see the writing on the wall. If the Supreme Court rules against ACA subsidies, they could face a massive voter backlash in 2016.

The Hill reported:

Congressional Republicans are locked in a debate about whether to temporarily keep in place the ObamaCare subsidies that are at risk of being struck down at the Supreme Court.

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The stakes are high, as a ruling against the healthcare law could strip federal aid from an estimated 7.5 million people ahead of the 2016 elections, with red states hit particularly hard.

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A new proposal put forward this week by Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), who is up for reelection in 2016, would allow people to keep their ObamaCare plans and subsidies until 2017, when the party hopes a Republican president will able to enact more sweeping changes from the White House.

In other words, there is a segment within the Republican Party who realized that getting rid of the ACA subsidies could mean a big backlash from millions of red state voters who depend on the subsidies for affordable health insurance.

Faced with the prospect of facing a likely Democratic nominee with more red state appeal that President Obama, Republicans should be worried.

Senate Republicans from states that vote Democratic in presidential elections, but have Republican governors who did not set up their own exchanges, should be terrified.

Ironically, the same Republican effort at the state level to resist participating in Obamacare could come back to haunt Republicans in 2016.

With satisfaction with Obamacare skyrocketing, the Supreme Court could put Democrats on a path to victory in 2016 if they give Republicans what they have long claimed to want.

The same hatred of the ACA that has fueled their campaigns for years is also sowing the seeds for Republican defeat and destruction.

Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

Awards and  Professional Memberships

Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association