Senator Schatz hails ‘victory for all’ following court’s ruling

State officials planned for a decision against Obamacare but praised the Supreme Court’s ruling Thursday preserving federal tax subsidies for consumers purchasing coverage via healthcare.gov.

U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz called the Supreme Court’s decision a “victory for all Americans.”

“Because of the Affordable Care Act, more people have access to quality health care, the number of uninsured is falling, and health care costs are growing at the slowest rate in a generation,” Schatz said in a statement.

Hawaii is planning to use the federal marketplace to sign up residents for health insurance coverage in 2016. But state officials planned to keep customer service and outreach in Hawaii to maintain the state’s status as a state-based marketplace.

“We’re pleased that the Affordable Care Act remains the settled law of the land because it will help Hawaii maintain its leadership role as it provides more affordable coverage to more of its residents than any other state since the passage of the Hawaii Prepaid Health Care Act of 1974,” said Jeff Kissel, the Hawaii Health Connector’s executive director, in a statement.

Gov. David Ige’s administration decided to abandon Hawaii’s troubled Health Connector website, which has struggled since its launch in October 2013 to meet enrollment targets, provide satisfactory service and raise enough money to be self-sustaining.

The Connector has burned through $130 million of $204 million in federal money granted to the state to build the exchange.