This King v. Burwell case sure has everyone worked up. So much so that the math doesn't even add up – but, hey, what are millions among taxpayers?
On the same day this week, two separate think tanks dropped studies on what a subsidy smack down would mean for consumers.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation — working with The Urban Institute — found that a ruling for King could toss 8.2 million out of the exchanges. In turn, that would jack up average premiums 35 percent, according to the Urban researchers.
Bet you didn't hear anything about that, did you? That's because the artisans over at the Rand Corp. painted an even darker picture. If you thought RWJ went all Bacon, then the cats at Rand went straight Bosch.
Their research suggests as many as 9.6 million PPACA enrollees could find themselves on their collective asses if the subsidy rug gets pulled out from under them. In short, about 70 percent of enrollees would be uninsured all over again.
If the justices — in their infinite, impartial wisdom — invalidate the subsidies in the federal exchange, two things will happen.