Opinions on how the Affordable Care decision affects Texans is widely split Matthew Waller

AUSTIN — The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to uphold part of President Barack Obama’s signature health care law could mean that the state will hold on to $4.4 billion in federal subsidies and help hundreds of thousands of Texans keep health insurance.

Those opposed to the decision, however, say that the move rewrites the law and pushes forward a system that eventually will make health care even more unaffordable for a state that already has the highest uninsured rate in the nation, tied with Nevada.

According to the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, which analyzes health issues, 832,334 people in Texas were at risk of losing their tax credit. The increase in the average premium if a tax credit isn’t available is 305 percent, and the average tax credit per enrollee is $247.

“Today this ruling protected these particular people from not losing their insurance,” said Melissa McChesney, an outreach coordinator with the Center for Public Policy Priorities, a think tank in Austin.

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