I am very happy that the Supreme Court upheld the ACA (ObamaCare). Although it was a close decision (5-4, with the conservatives wanting to overturn the entire law, not just the individual mandate). Interestingly, the swing vote in this case was Chief Justice John Roberts, not Anthony Kennedy (who typically plays that role).
Ironically, even though this is a victory for Obama and the Democrats, it will probably hurt them somewhat in the upcoming election.
UPDATE: Conservatives are threatening to move to Canada, because of the Supreme Court decision about ObamaCare. Canada. Seriously. Could you get any stupider?
UPDATE 2: Rand Paul declares:
Just because a couple people on the Supreme Court declare something to be ‘constitutional’ does not make it so. The whole thing remains unconstitutional. While the court may have erroneously come to the conclusion that the law is allowable, it certainly does nothing to make this mandate or government takeover of our health care right.
Since multiple fact checking organizations have pointed out that anyone saying Obamacare is a “government takeover of our health care” is lying, I’m not sure if I trust Paul’s authority on the constitution. I also find it funny that he said “health care right” — if it is a right, shouldn’t everyone have it?
UPDATE 3: On March 26, Bill O’Reilly bullied his guest Caroline Fredrickson, claimed that the ACA was clearly unconstitutional and that it would lose. And he said that if the Supreme Court upheld the individual health care mandate he would replay that interview and “apologize for being an idiot”. Watch it:
Does anyone think he will actually apologize?
UPDATE 4: Good article about empty promises from right wing blow hards. Includes not only Bill O’Reilly’s promise to apologize (which he has not done), but also Sean Hannity’s offer to be water-boarded to prove that it is not torture, and Rush Limbaugh’s promise to move to Costa Rica if ObamaCare is implemented. These guys are not only liars, they are chicken-shit liars.
UPDATE 5: Bill O’Reilly actually apologizes (sort of), but only after multiple sites point out his hypocrisy. And says “I’m not really sorry” and calls the media sites that called him on it “far-left kooks”.
7 Comments
that is too funny, the comments on moving to Canada. And their ignorance. 20 people who won’t be around to vote for the flip flopper.
Sorry, but in this case I don’t think Rand Paul was talking about a “health care right.” I think what he meant could be understood by replacing the word “right” with the word “justifiable.”
Ah, you might be “correct”!
I am thinking of moving to Canada, I do not want to pay my money to private for-profit insurance companies. I was thinking I would pay “tax”/penalty, but someone told me I would not be covered by giving government money. Is that true? Do I have any options to avoid paying insurance companies.
Hassan – if you want health care in the US, you choices are Medicaid (if you are poor), Medicare (if you are old) or private insurers. That’s it. Republicans refuse to allow public options or single payer health care.
You say you don’t want to pay an insurance company – unfortunately what you are saying IOU don’t want health care. That is a really choice since there is a 100% chance you need it.
If you want health care but don’t want to pay an insurance company for it, then moving to a social medicine country is indeed your only option unless ou are close to retirement – or poverty.
ARTHANYEL, thanks, I am by the grace of Almighty quite good financially and relatively young, I just do not want to pay insurance companies money, I am totally fine paying money to government if it can cover me plus poor people as well. Is there any chance of that happening in US? I just seriously despise insurance companies (plus on side note, if you guys are not aware, insurance is not allowed in my religion Islam principally, but if there is a mandate, we have to comply with law)
Hassan – I understand. Frankly health care coverage should NOT be insurance – insurance is fundamentally about a bet on something you may or may not need. Health care doesn’t fit – everyone needs it. And in states where the delivery of health care is substantially non-profit (like Oregon) it works much better.
There is a religious exemption to the individual mandate, and you may qualify for that. And as the insurance exchanges are set up, it is possible that some NON insurance providers will participate. And of course there are hybrids like the Kaiser Permanente system (in some states) which isnt insurance but will likely qualify for the purposes of the ACA.
Many of us don’t like the ACA because it either did not go far enough or give enough options. I personally would have been much happier with a Public Option instead of the mandate, and even happier with a single payer hybrid system like New Zealand’s approach.
You can thank Republicans for the mandate – it was their iodea, and included in the ACA to try and get their support.