"Nothing in our opinion precludes Congress from offering funds under the ACA to expand the availability of health care, and requiring that states accepting such funds comply with the conditions on their use. What Congress is not free to do is to penalize States that choose not to participate in that new program by taking away their existing Medicaid funding." US Supreme Court, 5 to 4, ruling on the Affordable Care Act.
The individual mandate was upheld as a tax — they found that the federal government could not force individuals to purchase a product, but a penalty could be imposed if they opted not to purchase the product which is, in this case, private health insurance.
After the Affordable Care Act was enacted in March 2010, numerous lawsuits challenging several provisions of the landmark law were filed in the federal courts. Many of those cases were dismissed, but some federal appellate courts issued decisions on the merits of the law. In November 2011, the United States Supreme Court agreed to consider the constitutionality of two major provisions of the law: the individual mandate and the Medicaid expansion. The Court heard arguments on these issues on March 26-28, 2012.
Twenty-eight of these United States — encompassing 164 million people, 53 percent of America's population, and 285 Electoral College votes — sued the federal government to stop Obamacare.
This litigation challenged the constitutionality of Obamacare's mandate that individuals purchase health insurance. If these 28 states ultimately opt out from ACA by the end of 2014, without the maximum pool of people buying health insurance it will be difficult to keep the cost of services and insurance premiums down, according to experts.
GOP leaders defy the ruling of the US Supreme Court, lead by a conservative Justice John Roberts, telling the 50+ million uninsured Americans that won't rest until the law is repealed in its entirely.
As in the ruling on the Arizona SB 1070, the US Supreme Court did not make a clear decision leaving more confused to regular folks than bringing clarity on their rulings. When the government institution who suppose to interpreting the Constitution fail to clarify its own decision leave everybody in the world making their own interpretations on the Constitution and on their ruling or lack of.
We Shall Overcome
WASHINGTON, DC 6/29/2012 - We wanted to wait twenty four hours until the dust settled and the incoming emails slowed down to remind the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) community that while the law, upheld by the Supreme Court yesterday, will help some get access to coverage, tens of millions will remain without health coverage, and millions more will continue to face bankruptcy for insurance companies' denial of medical bills already incurred and denial of care altogether. Let's not forget that The Affordable Care Act was designed to keep the private insurance business in charge of health care, not the patients or the public. Insurance is not health care. Heath care is a human right!
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
PDA has been helping to lead the way for a more cost effective, comprehensive approach that would improve and expand Medicare to cover everyone. PDA has been committed to Expanded, Improved Medicare for All since our founding in 2004 when Rep. John Conyers--the author of H.R. 676, "The Expanded & Improved Medicare For All Act," and Single-Payer champion Rep. Dennis Kucinich kicked off our first gathering in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
PDA will continue to work with National Nurses United (NNU), Healthcare NOW!, Labor for Single Payer and health care activists across the country to step up the fight for reform that is not based on extending the grip of a failed private insurance system, but “on a universal program based on patient need, not on profits or ability to pay."
We will continue to call upon all progressives to join PDA to work to elect a progressive majority to Congress, willing to lead the struggle for Healthcare NOT Warfare. One candidate who is leading that fight is Dr David Gill running for an open seat in Illinois' 13th District.
PDA has been with Dr Gill since he first ran for Congress. Just last month our members were on the ground in his district. We made phones calls, waved signs and knocked on doors. We received the following note from Dr. Gill, "Thank you for your great work in my district. It is heartening and inspiring to see all those great PDA folks in the 13th District, giving up their weekends to help my campaign. Together, we're going to win in November, and bring real change to Washington. We're going to fix our health care system so that no ones dies because they don't have insurance. Thanks again for everything PDA has done. You've been with me from the start and I won't forget your friendship and support."
For a Progressive Congress and a Progressive America,
Tim, Conor, Andrea, Kimberly, Mike H, Judy, Janis, Mike F, and Kurt
The PDA National Team
We Shall Overcome
WASHINGTON, DC 6/29/2012 - We wanted to wait twenty four hours until the dust settled and the incoming emails slowed down to remind the Progressive Democrats of America (PDA) community that while the law, upheld by the Supreme Court yesterday, will help some get access to coverage, tens of millions will remain without health coverage, and millions more will continue to face bankruptcy for insurance companies' denial of medical bills already incurred and denial of care altogether. Let's not forget that The Affordable Care Act was designed to keep the private insurance business in charge of health care, not the patients or the public. Insurance is not health care. Heath care is a human right!
“Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in health care is the most shocking and inhumane.”
- Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
PDA has been helping to lead the way for a more cost effective, comprehensive approach that would improve and expand Medicare to cover everyone. PDA has been committed to Expanded, Improved Medicare for All since our founding in 2004 when Rep. John Conyers--the author of H.R. 676, "The Expanded & Improved Medicare For All Act," and Single-Payer champion Rep. Dennis Kucinich kicked off our first gathering in Roxbury, Massachusetts.
PDA will continue to work with National Nurses United (NNU), Healthcare NOW!, Labor for Single Payer and health care activists across the country to step up the fight for reform that is not based on extending the grip of a failed private insurance system, but “on a universal program based on patient need, not on profits or ability to pay."
We will continue to call upon all progressives to join PDA to work to elect a progressive majority to Congress, willing to lead the struggle for Healthcare NOT Warfare. One candidate who is leading that fight is Dr David Gill running for an open seat in Illinois' 13th District.
PDA has been with Dr Gill since he first ran for Congress. Just last month our members were on the ground in his district. We made phones calls, waved signs and knocked on doors. We received the following note from Dr. Gill, "Thank you for your great work in my district. It is heartening and inspiring to see all those great PDA folks in the 13th District, giving up their weekends to help my campaign. Together, we're going to win in November, and bring real change to Washington. We're going to fix our health care system so that no ones dies because they don't have insurance. Thanks again for everything PDA has done. You've been with me from the start and I won't forget your friendship and support."
For a Progressive Congress and a Progressive America,
Tim, Conor, Andrea, Kimberly, Mike H, Judy, Janis, Mike F, and Kurt
The PDA National Team
No comments:
Post a Comment