The Supreme Court gave Obamacare supporters a victory Monday when it declined to take up a challenge from Maine seeking to strip Medicaid coverage for teens.
The state asked the court to overturn a lower court’s ruling that prevents it from cutting Medicaid coverage for teens. Maine wished to dedicate funding it gained from cutting loose teens to fund more vulnerable populations. To hear a petition, four of nine justices need to agree.
The crux of the case dates to 2009. Maine agreed to cover low-income 18- to 20-year-olds in return for getting stimulus funds.
But Obamacare, passed in 2010, required Maine to continue meeting those eligibility standards until 2019.
In 2012, the state appealed to the federal government to eliminate Medicaid coverage for 19- and 20-year-olds, according to court filings. The government denied the request, so the state took the administration to court.
Maine argued that the decision violated NFIB vs. Sebelius, which basically enabled states to deny the Medicaid expansion. Maine is one of 18 states to do so.
However, the lower court found that the provision to extend coverage was to ensure that children didn’t lose health insurance as the country transitioned to Obamacare.
