Supreme Court begins hearings for President Obama’s Affordable Care Act

Joey Pedroza waived his University of California health insurance plan at the beginning of the school year because he was already covered by his parents’ insurance.

Pedroza, a first-year political science student, said he had peace of mind that he would be able to stay on the plan until age 26 under the Affordable Care Act, which passed in 2010.

But he said he’s nervously watching developments in the Supreme Court, which could possibly determine his insurance status once he turns 21.

The Supreme Court began hearings last week to deliberate on a landmark case involving the Affordable Care Act.

The Affordable Care Act increases the number of Americans with health care coverage by requiring people to have insurance, and it prevents insurance companies from denying coverage to patients with pre-existing conditions. The law also allows children to stay on parents’ health plans until age 26.

The nation’s highest court is deciding whether it is constitutional or not for Congress to require people to have health insurance under the act.

“A lot of people are paying close attention to this case,” said Gerald Kominski, professor of health services and associate director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research. “There is a lot at stake if the Supreme Court overturns the act.”

If upheld by the Supreme Court, the law would provide insurance to at least 3 million Californians out of the total 5 million who are uninsured by 2014, Kominski said.

If the law is overturned by the Supreme Court, these people will no longer have that coverage, he added.

At this point it’s “impossible” to say what the court will ultimately decide, said Jonathan Varat, a professor at the UCLA School of Law who specializes in constitutional law.

The current proceedings do not indicate what will happen when the court makes its decision, and it is very easy to overanalyze the oral arguments being made in court, Varat said.

The Supreme Court could also implement some parts of the act and overturn others, still allowing the reforms of the act to exist in some capacity.

Varat said the court’s decision could have implications for congressional power.

“If the act gets overturned, it will be a significant departure from prior law and will curtail the power of Congress,” he said.

Members of the UC insurance community said the law is beneficial for recent graduates of the UC and young adults between the ages of 21 and 26.

“The new law is a great plan for those who are unemployed and can stay on their parents’ plan,” said Barbara Rabinowitz, insurance manager at the UCLA Arthur Ashe Student Health and Wellness Center,

UC’s insurance program will not be greatly affected if the Supreme Court decides to uphold the law because officials have already made changes to the program to comply with the new guidelines, said Scott Arno, a neuroscience graduate student and the UCLA representative to the UC-SHIP Advisory Committee.

He added that administrators are still keeping a very close eye on the proceedings in case the mandate is struck down.

Rabinowitz said she does not anticipate changes to the UC Student Health Insurance Plan should the law be struck down.

“If the health care reform is overturned, we expect no changes to UC SHIP, and UC SHIP will continue to offer benefits to students at an affordable fee,” Rabinowitz said.

UCLA students on the university’s insurance program pay $1,225 per year for the basic plan.

Arno said the cost could rise, however, as a result of other companies increasing prices if the law is overturned.

Justin Lin, a third-year electrical engineering student who uses UC SHIP, said he was not concerned about the Supreme Court’s case.

“I don’t see why the case would change anything with my current insurance,” Lin said. “If the act passes, I know everything will stay the same, and if the law doesn’t pass, I am pretty sure my insurance will be the same as it was before the act passed.”

A decision is not expected from the Supreme Court until June.