The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) premium tax credits are available to eligible individuals who enroll in qualified health plans through any Health Insurance Exchange (Marketplace), regardless of whether it is a state-based Exchange or a federally-facilitated Exchange.

The premium tax credit is designed to help eligible individuals and families with low or moderate income afford health insurance purchased through the Marketplace. Large employers subject to the ACA’s employer shared responsibility provisions (pay or play) may be liable for penalties if any of their full-time employees receive premium tax credits.

The U.S. Supreme Court decision comes in response to conflicting lower court rulings which considered whether the ACA’s premium tax credits are limited under the law only to individuals who enroll in qualified health plans through state-based Health Insurance Exchanges. The opinion upholds the availability of premium tax credits in every state. Individuals do not need to take any action or make any changes in response to the decision, as nothing has changed and the tax credits remain available.

General information regarding the credit is available in our section on the Premium Tax Credit for Individuals within the Client Resource Center HR Library.