Supreme Court Decision Syllabus (SCOTUS Podcast)
Following what the Supreme Court is actually doing can be daunting. Reporting on the subject is often only done within the context of political narratives of the day -- and following the Court's decisions and reading every new case can be a non-starter. The purpose of this Podcast is to make it as easy as possible for members of the public to source information about what is happening at the Supreme Court. For that reason, we read every Opinion Syllabus without any commentary whatsoever. Further, there are no advertisements or sponsors. We call it "information sourcing," and we hope that the podcast is a useful resource for members of the public who want to understand the legal issues of the day, prospective law students who want to get to know legal language and understand good legal writing, and attorneys who can use the podcast to be better advocates for their clients.
*Note this podcast is for informational and educational purposes only.
Supreme Court Decision Syllabus (SCOTUS Podcast)
Advocate Christ v. Kennedy (Social Security Benefits)
In Advocate Christ Medical Center v. Kennedy, the Supreme Court addressed how to calculate the Medicare “disproportionate share hospital” (DSH) adjustment—a statutory formula that provides extra funding to hospitals serving many low-income patients. At issue was how to interpret the term “entitled to [SSI] benefits” in the Medicare fraction of that formula. A coalition of over 200 hospitals argued that this phrase should include all patients enrolled in the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) system, regardless of whether they actually received SSI payments during the month of their hospital stay. The Department of Health and Human Services, by contrast, only counted patients who were actually eligible for a cash SSI payment during their hospitalization month.
Writing for the Court, Justice Barrett rejected the hospitals’ broader interpretation. The Court held that a person is “entitled to SSI benefits” only if they are eligible for a cash SSI payment during the specific month of their hospital stay. The Court emphasized that SSI benefits are determined monthly and are strictly cash-based under subchapter XVI. It dismissed the hospitals’ argument that noncash services like Medicaid continuation or vocational training should count, finding those benefits either irrelevant or located in different statutory subchapters.
The Court also distinguished this case from Empire Health, a prior decision interpreting Medicare Part A entitlement, explaining that SSI and Medicare are fundamentally different programs—SSI requires fluctuating monthly eligibility based on income and resources, while Medicare provides broader and more automatic coverage.
The Court ultimately upheld the D.C. Circuit’s decision and ruled in favor of HHS. Justice Barrett’s majority opinion was joined by Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Thomas, Alito, Kagan, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh. Justice Jackson dissented, joined by Justice Sotomayor.
Read by RJ Dieken.
