Here's the quick rundown on the impact in North Carolina of the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling today upholding the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
The state Department of Insurance will continue, as it has since late last year, setting up a statewide marketplace for health insurance for those who aren't covered or have a hard time finding coverage. The state has been using federal money to do that, which legislators reluctantly approved in November.
Earlier last year, the House approved a bill authorizing the state's own insurance exchange, which the AHA requires unless states want the feds to step in and do it for them. But the Senate never took the bill up. President Pro Tem Phil Berger said at the time it was prudent to wait to see what the Supreme Court does.
Now that the court has done something, Berger said today that the bill wouldn't be taken up in the remaining few days of this session. He said legislators need time to "process and understand" the ruling.
