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SC Rejects Latest Republican Challenge To Obamacare
On Thursday, the United States Supreme Court rejected another Republican challenge to Obamacare. This decision allows the Affordable Care Act (ACA) to stand despite objections from the GOP on its constitutionality.
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7-2 Ruling In Favor Of Obamacare
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of the ACA with a 7-2 vote. However, the ruling did not actually delve into the merits of the legal issues raised by the plaintiffs.
Instead, the courts simply declared that the conservative states that filed the suit do not have standing. Specifically, the states will not incur any damages from the continued implementation of the ACA.
Democrats immediately hailed the SC’s decision, saying it confirms the permanency of the controversial law. The ACA, centerpiece legislation of former President Barack Obama’s policy agenda.
The former President tweeted a message after the decision. “This ruling reaffirms what we have long known to be true: the Affordable Care Act is here to stay,” he posted.
President Joe Biden also chimed in, tweeting that “With millions of people relying on the Affordable Care Act for coverage, it remains, as ever, a BFD. And it’s here to stay.”
Repeated Challenges
Republicans gallantly challenged the Affordable Care Act since it came into law in 2010. GOP members mounted a challenge to the law in 2012 and in 2015, both of which were struck down by the Supreme Court.
In particular, the latest challenge questioned the requirement that every American should obtain insurance coverage (the individual mandate) or pay a penalty.
The congressional power to collect taxes gave the ACA the mandate to impose penalties. However, Texas AG Ken Paxton argued that the tax stopped when then-President Donald Trump signed a 2017 law reducing the tax to zero.
After Trump’s removal of the tax, Texas and 17 other states asked the courts to throw out the rest of Obamacare. Its provisions, including protections for Americans with preexisting conditions plus no lifetime benefit caps, only work on the assumption that all Americans avail the ACA. With the penalty for noncompliance falling to zero, Americans who do not want coverage do not have any incentive to enroll.
Supreme Court Ignores Arguments
However, the Supreme Court didn’t dive into Paxton’s arguments. Instead, the court simply stated that the states that filed suit do not have the right to do so.
Specifically, the states sued because they didn’t want to pay a share for the cost of new enrollees in Medicaid. However, with the penalties removed, the states cannot reasonably say they need to pay more.
Surprisingly, even as the High Court is replete with associates that lean to the right, the majority decision included both conservative and liberal justices.
Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justices Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett sided with Associate Justice Stephen Breyer wrote for the majority.
In contrast, Associate Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch signed their dissent. “Neither logic nor intuition suggests that the presence of the minimum essential coverage requirement would lead an individual to enroll in one of those programs that its absence would lead them to ignore.
A penalty might have led some inertia-bound individuals to enroll. But without a penalty, what incentive could the provision provide? wrote Breyer.
Republicans Up In Arms
Expectedly, Republicans didn’t take to the decision kindly. They noted that the high court ignored all their arguments in favor of the ACA.
Paxton said the court is to blame for ignoring the constitutionality of the whole law. Allowing the health care law to remain in force “spells doom for the principles of federalism and limited government.”
Meanwhile, Senator Bill Hagerty (R-TN) said that Congress should consider reforms to change the law. “The Obamacare individual mandate, a provision that forces someone to purchase insurance whether they want to or not, is unconstitutional,” Hagerty asserted.
Watch the ABC News video reporting that in its latest ruling, the Supreme Court upholds Obamacare:
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18 Comments
I have very good health insurance. I’m well taken care of. I don’t want any other health insurance where I’m told where to go and who to see for my doctors.
Obamacare is the first huge step toward communism the lazy people that want a free ride don’t see their freedoms being slowly but constantly being taken away look at history communism has never worked
I feel that Obama Care should be universal not everyone makes a decent salary this allows them to get health care for themselves and they’re family members. I don’t believe everyone is out for a free ride and a person should Have access to all the benefits of good quality health care are official’s don’t pay for it why should we?
Wake up baby RetrumplicanQs think about others less fortunate than you for once !!!!!!!
I’m good!!!! I NEVER trusted that Obama crap!!!! “WE HAVE TO PASS THIS INTO LAW BEFORE WE CAN SEE WHAT’S IN IT”!!!! (PELOSI)…. How dumb is THAT???
My insurance is great for me. I’d much rather choose than be required tto be part of something I don’t need.
The Problem with this health care is you get Quack Doctors.All the real Doctors went into health care where you pay an up front amount to belong to his services.MY last Dr. wanted $2500 a year for me to retain his services.Then my next Dr. went over to Phone diagnostic with no referrals.So you get what you pay for.If you are not rich you are at there mercy.Most of these Obama Dr just give out pills an shots,And they have more side effect than they cure,So be careful for what you wish for.Every thing that is free has strings attached.You are now a guinea pig.
The individual mandate is unconstitutional. Making me pay a fine if I don’t use your crappy government Healthcare is not right.
we all know that obamacare is a free ride for the people that dont work, and are living off of government handout programs anyway. the healthcare system we had before the democrats pushed through obamacare never turned away anybody that needed medical care. emergency rooms across the nation gladly took in people that really needed medical assistance. it`s a typical ploy to get votes for the democrats and the mooches will benefit and the working class will pay for it as usual.
unfortunately we learned in the beginning of donald`s term, that it wasnt just the democrats that were corrupt, but also the deep state republicans and bureaucrats!!!!
Working Americans got stuck with a very high priced health care insurance. Yes, I know that many people with lower incomes benefited, I know several personally. Ours was more than twice the cost of what our home mortgage was and had a very high annual deductible, with only 70% coverage, if we used their doctors/facilities.
Healthcare and i do mean good quality healthcare including vision and full dental is something that every single American should be given from the time of conception and provided for by the government at no out of pocket cost to the American people other than through taxes. The government takes taxes payed by everyone and uses the funds on many things that are less important than the people of this once great nation. More value has been placed on a thriving “living” economy rather than the value and the quality of humanity itself.
I checked into this great insurance and they wanted more a month then I make and the one I could afford wanted me to spend 7000.00 in hospital before it would kick in to help with doctor or meds… completely stupid it is just for insurance companies and government to take my money that I work hard for!
down with the democratic party your health care would be better with out them down with obama care
Wake up clueless! Nothing is free! AND, guess what, this didn’t even help the poor people that need government healthcare because it was a scam that cost taxpayers 700 million dollars and the premiums skyrocketed one year later and most lapsed because they couldn’t pay. This is for the uneducated people with 0 critical thinlin skills above that believe what the liar in chief is spreading. Such narcissists, obamacare, bidencare, it’s all about them, even when its supposed to be about the people
Obama care charged me a thousand and I had my own insurance and doctor.let Hunter Biden pay for it along with the China virus
I have had good insurance in the past but lately it is getting
to the point where I paying for a lot more. I now have to lay for all of my prescriptions and one prescription I badly need but can’t afford it. Do t want Obama Care for the same reasons. It might start out ok, but then the patents up paying2 for all of it. But that’s what you get people when you vote with Dems. I didn’t vote with the Dems but I get punished just the same. Good by America. It was nice while we had you, but our people got very stupid in the end.
hey Orlando, if its so good then why Is doctors refusing to take people that is on it?
I SHOULD HAVE THE CHOICE TO GET HEALTH INSURANCE I WANT AS WELL AS NOT TO GET ONE.