In July 2014, two United States Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on the issue of whether the tax credit promulgated by the Internal Revenue Service (“IRS”) within the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“ACA”) is applicable to health insurance purchased by individuals on federally-facilitated health insurance exchanges established in the absence of state run health insurance exchanges. The United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia held health insurance purchased on a federally-facilitated exchange established in the absence of a state run exchange is ineligible for the IRS tax credits pursuant to ACA. Hours after the decision from the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals, the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in the reverse, affirming the lower court’s decision to uphold the IRS rule authorizing tax credits to individuals who enroll in health insurance programs on both state-run and federally-facilitated health benefit exchanges valid.
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