Insurers Face $1 Trillion Revenue at Stake in Health Law (Bloomberg)

Assuming the Supreme Court upholds the health care reform law, health insurers will gain $1 trillion in new revenue over the next eight years, according to a Bloomberg Government study. “It’s a confirmation of, one, how much money we’re spending as a nation on health care; and two, how much is riding on this court case and the Supreme Court’s decision,” said Matt Barry, the study’s author. “You’re talking an amount of money here that can affect the economy, not just an industry.” The study found that subsidizing private insurance premiums will cost taxpayers $557 billion through 2020, while the Medicaid expansion will cost the federal government $669 billion. That accounts for 98% of new spending in the law, the report said.