With the Supreme Court ruling on President Obama’s health care reform law expected today, the Los Angeles Times reports that California “will lose out on as much as $15 billion annually in new federal money slated to come its way, dealing what state officials say would be a critical blow to efforts to expand coverage to the poor and uninsured.”
“The most controversial provision is the so-called individual mandate that requires nearly everyone to buy health insurance. Many believe the state could pass such a law on its own if the Supreme Court justices throw out only that provision. California nearly approved a mandate in 2008 under then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican… The lack of federal healthcare money, however, would be harder to remedy.”
Meanwhile, the Baltimore Sun looks at the reforms in Maryland, noting that “officials, advocates and providers already say they plan to push for reforms even without the law, though leaders including Lt. Gov. Anthony G. Brown acknowledge that it would become much harder and more ‘piecemeal’ to cover the state’s 750,000 uninsured residents and tougher to maintain every benefit for those with coverage.”
