From Balloon Juice, who quoted from SCOTUSblog:
In Plain English: The Affordable Care Act, including its individual mandate that virtually all Americans buy health insurance, is constitutional. There were not five votes to uphold it on the ground that Congress could use its power to regulate commerce between the states to require everyone to buy health insurance. However, five Justices agreed that the penalty that someone must pay if he refuses to buy insurance is a kind of tax that Congress can impose using its taxing power. That is all that matters. Because the mandate survives, the Court did not need to decide what other parts of the statute were constitutional, except for a provision that required states to comply with new eligibility requirements for Medicaid or risk losing their funding. On that question, the Court held that the provision is constitutional as long as states would only lose new funds if they didn’t comply with the new requirements, rather than all of their funding.Discuss.
Why not be happy?..unless you are one of the damn fools willing to throw out the good, for what you think might be better in the form of single payer.
ReplyDeleteMy sister has a genetic condition. She wil now be able to afford coverage.
Hell yes, it is a good thing.
I suggest you read the dessenting opinion. Those nuts wanted to crush every last inch of the law.
I'm happy that the small step in the right direction for health care didn't get crushed for purely political reasons. Am I as happy as I hope to be someday? Of course not, but it's America, politics doesn't play that way.
ReplyDeleteBut anything that slightly makes the middle the middle again, that denies the "Obama is a socialist" B.S. (if he's one, then what the heck am I, even further to the left?), well, that's a pretty good day.
Plus it actually helps people, as Bob points out. Notice how little that part got discussed. (Which is sad sad sad.)
It turned out the way I thought it would. I am happy. I think medical costs are out of control and this is needed to help.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, I don't think it is the Supreme Courts role to help people, but rather to decide what is permitted under the Constitution. Plenty of shitty things have been done under the guise of helping people by the two other branches of government, but we can at least throw them out. Since we can't with the other branch, I prefer they tread carefully.
Volokh has some good posts on the decision if you are a total geek that wants all the details as to what it means. It is almost too much information.
ReplyDeleteI tried to go to Volokh earlier today to see if there were live shots of Randy Barnett's head explosion. There may have been too much traffic becuase I could not get to it.
ReplyDeleteOh, I am happy. Very happy. My title and apprehension was because 1)this is a complicated issue and a deep ruling; and 2) some groups, even ones I trust, are a bit apprehensive of this whole Commerce Clause/Taxation issue that was the basis for supporting the individual mandate.
ReplyDeleteBut for my brother and my aunt and uncle, all 3 of whom work multiple jobs to make ends meet, are one step closer to getting insurance they can afford.
My two cents...
ReplyDeleteMy purely gut feeling on the whole health care thing is that is has had completely awful PR from the very beginning.
I *know* it's at least a step in the right direction. The way things are now sucks, and pretty much anything trying for some sort of improvement has to be better.
Intellectually I *know* that the results are going to make it better for everyone in the long haul. And there are immediate and eventual benefits for lots of people.
But as a selfish, employed, probably upper middle class individual with no health problems, they've done a shit job selling me on how this benefits *me* right *now*. My premiums still go up. My coverage is still average at best. And I work for a health insurance company!
I guess bottom line I don't really care. I luckily have insurance available through my employer, and welcome the opportunities for affordable individual insurance (so I wouldn't necessarily be tied to my employer's plan!).
I will chime in, I guess.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who has a stable job, no pre-existing or ongoing medical problems, and what I consider to be quite good health care for me and my family, the ruling has no obvious effect on me personally as far as I know. But I cam accept that the Affordable Care Act was not passed for people like me. For those who do not have adequate health care, for whatever reason, I am pleased that this represents a step toward improving their situation.
So I care and am happy with the ruling.
Oh, yeah, and I'm pretty shocked that it was not struck down. I guess I've been reading too much Balloon Juice lately.
While I think this law could have been better (which law couldn't?), I am very happy it has survived. I have two children that would have been booted off my insurance if it had fallen.
ReplyDeleteI work with the poorest of Tulsa's citizens, and see the pain and illness that many live in. Some have serious infections that need attention, but ... no insurance.
Anyone that thinks the Emergency Room idea is a good health care provider, really hasn't experienced it, in my opinion. It is not.
Anyway I rejoice and remember the words of the Savoir.
St. Luke 4:8 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free,
This is good news to the poor and those oppressed by pre-existing conditions, and will release many captives from untreated chronic pain.
"My purely gut feeling on the whole health care thing is that is has had completely awful PR from the very beginning. "
ReplyDeleteAgree 110%