Big decisions from the Supreme Court this week, but not much immediate impact for employers

Big decisions from the Supreme Court this week, but not much immediate impact for employers

Federally run healthcare exchanges in states remain in place and gay marriage is now the law of the land

The U.S. Supreme Court this week decided two big issues, each fought with intense politics, but neither apt to pose immediate challenges to employers. Specifically the Courtês decision on the Affordable Care Act with respect to states taking the default position on state operated health care exchanges, like Virginia and 33 other states, will be fine with their federally operated exchanges. Correspondingly, states, like Virginia, which had not recognized same sex marriage will now be obliged to do so since the Court decided it is now the law of the land.

The ACA federally operated health care exchanges will continue under the law with the Court turning down the latest legal challenge to the law, by a decision of 6 to 3, made by those who argued that federal exchanges in states as opposed to state run exchanges, as Maryland has, will continue to get the federal subsidies that make state exchanges work to ensure coverage for the less well-off insurance consumers. In a macro sense, this latest challenge to the ACA could have shipwrecked President Obamaês signature Health Care Reform law, but for the fact that the Court soundly rejected it. In a micro sense, as noted above, it will be business as usual with what has been a slow, if not sputtering, roll out of Health Care Reform.

With the gay marriage decision out of the Supreme Court, employers will need to take care that same sex married people are henceforth afforded the same rights in the workplace to things like employee benefits as opposite sex, married people are. Going forward in time it is foreseeable that not only gay couples, but gay persons in general will acquire –protected class” status under the equal opportunity laws.

WANADA will be working closely with NADA and the Automotive Trade Associationsê network to take care that dealer members, here and nationwide, have everything they need to work through what will be required of them in the workplace in the days and years ahead.