By Leah Schwarting

NATCHEZ — Months of debate over whether the Affordable Care Act would be gutted ended Thursday when the U.S. Supreme Court sided with the administration in King v. Burwell.

Thursday morning, the Supreme Court ruled 6-3 that individuals can buy health insurance through exchanges created by the Federal Government and still be eligible for tax subsidies.

Merit Health Natchez CEO Eric Robinson applauded the ruling and said in a press release that subsidies provide vital assistance for some of Mississippi’s “most vulnerable citizens.

“Continuing these subsidies helps patients obtain coverage for the care they need and ensures hospitals are reimbursed for the essential services they provide, making our nation’s healthcare system stronger, benefitting everyone,” Robinson wrote.

Without the subsidies, Robinson said some citizens would not have coverage. As a result, hospitals, which already provide charity work and free emergency services, would have to shoulder higher amounts of uncompensated care, he said.

State Rep. Robert Johnson, D-Natchez, who represents District 94, also welcomed the ruling. Johnson said the ruling did not surprise him.

“I was a little apprehensive,” Johnson said, referring to the wait for the ruling. “I was just glad that they made the right decision.”

Johnson thinks the decision will help Mississippi move forward in covering the state’s uninsured and help the state in expanding Medicaid.

“I think it will be the final word on the exchange,” Johnson said.

State Rep. Sam Mims, R-McComb, who is chairman of the state’s Public Health and Human Services committee, disagrees.

In a press release, Mims said the Affordable Care Act is not the answer to creating affordable health coverage.

Mims said having more medical providers in the state would provide better access to health care than the Affordable Care Act.

“The Supreme Court’s decision today doesn’t change the fact that Obamacare has driven up insurance premiums and hasn’t improved access to care,” Mims wrote in the release. “We need real solutions that will allow families to purchase affordable healthcare.”