Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell is taking a defiant stance against the upcoming court challenge to ObamaCare that threatens to unravel the administration’s healthcare law.
If successful, the lawsuit could cripple the healthcare law by denying billions in federal subsidies provided to consumers to help pay for premiums.
{mosads}Burwell faced a barrage of questions from reporters on Tuesday about how the administration is preparing states for the worst-case scenario but repeatedly declined to discuss what could happen if the suit is successful.
“We believe we are in a place where our argument and our position will prevail,” she told reporters.
“I think anyone can create any kind of hypothetical in life and in policy. I think what we’re focused on now is the law of the land,” she said.
She declined to say whether the administration had a contingency plan for the potential loss of $64 billion in subsidies, adding: “I’m going to stick with where I am.”
The Supreme Court announced in November that it would take up the subsidies case, surprising many court-watchers and healthcare experts.