SCOTUS hears Obamacare case today.

[QuickSilver]

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/03/04/supreme-court-obama-health-care/24320547/

At least four justices appeared skeptical about a challenge to the law that could eliminate tax credits used by millions of Americans to pay insurance premiums. That could leave 34 states with unmanageable insurance markets featuring rising premiums and millions more residents uninsured.

The principal argument advanced by the law's opponents — that four words in the 906-page statute permit the use of tax credits only in states that set up their own health insurance exchanges — appeared to please the court's most conservative members.

On the other hand, all four liberals sided with the government's assertion that the entire law — designed to provide health insurance protection to "all Americans" — must be considered paramount to any literal interpretation of those four words.
Kennedy, who could be the decisive vote, acknowledged a rigid reading of the law seemed to bolster opponents' argument that tax credits can flow only to 16 states operating their own health insurance exchanges. But if that's the case, he said, the law might be unconstitutionally coercive.

This could very well be the end of the ACA... This would put about 10 million people again without health insurance.. So the question is.. WHAT are the Republicans going to do? What is their plan. Better yet... HOW will all these people be voting in 2016???? hmmmmm???

 

[Josiah]

Yeah, I've been following it closely. Clearly the merits of the case are just an afterthought. It all boils down to Robert's struggle between his ideological leanings and his concern for his legacy.

 

[SeaBreeze]

I'm very grateful to have an ACA health insurance exchange in my state. I've never been without health insurance, when I worked it was free or low cost with my union jobs, after retirement I paid my Cobra out of pocket until that ran out. After that, the monthly premiums and yearly cost of health insurance rose each year in ridiculous amounts. I found I was throwing away my hard-earned savings for retirement just on health insurance, and I am one with no health conditions and rarely even see a doctor.

Nevertheless, with the Affordable Care Act, we have been allowed some tax credits which amount to a huge savings on insurance. I will not be voting in 2016 for anyone against the middle class, ACA, medicare or social security...I have more sense than that. Unless someone is so rich that they can pay for hospital and doctor expenses out of pocket, and there are obviously some folks that are, then they'd be insane to vote for those who destroy this much needed insurance plan for America. Our health care system was broken, and I thank President Obama for attempting to fix it. Next best thing would be universal or single payer insurance.

 

[Josiah]

What I don't understand is that if the SCOTUS decides against the government millions of people in states that opted for belonging to the federal exchange will loose their subsidized insurance. Horrific for sure. But why wouldn't the ACA continue to function well in the states with state run exchanges? And what we'd have would be a startlingly clear demonstration of how people are much better off with the ACA than without it. I could live with that because the political pressure in the Red states to create state run exchanges would be enormous.

 

[QuickSilver]

I'm not sure either Josiah... You would think that the States that set up their own exchanges would still be able to function under the ACA.. but all I keep hearing is "death spiral" and the end of the ACA. I see it like you do.. the states that allowed the Federal Exchange will rush to set up their own exchanges.. but that wouldn't happen over night... It would be a while before that could happen.

 

[Don M.]

I think it is very doubtful that the Supreme Court will rule against the ACA. It would throw our already ridiculous health care system into chaos. The ACA, after all, WAS written largely by the Lobbyists for our Health Care Industry, and for the most part, they are continuing to prosper under its umbrella. This is just the latest drama in what will be a long drawn out battle towards a sensible SP-UHC system, such as those which have proven to work quite well in dozens of other nations. The ACA has only slightly slowed the continuing rise in health care costs, and is just a minor blip on the charts showing how fast our costs are getting out of control. Only when Medicare/Medicaid is driving the governments into record deficits, and individuals are faced with spending a major share of their incomes for HC insurance, and co-pays, etc., will the people of this nation wake up and Demand that we learn from the experiences of other nations.

The latest statistics show that the U.S. spends 17% of its GDP on Health Care...while the average in most other nations is about 9%. On top of that, the WHO ranks the U.S. at number 34, in terms of quality of care, and value received for our dollars. It shouldn't take a Genius to figure out that we are being HAD. This is yet another example of how Stupid Partisan Politics, and Big Money, are hamstringing the vast majority of our people.

 

[SeaBreeze]

Polling shows that Americans support the Affordable Care Act. http://www.politicususa.com/2015/03...supreme-court-nixing-obamacare-subsidies.html


"A Hart Research Associates Poll released on March 2 finds that by a solid 63-29 majority, American voters want to keep Obamacare intact.

The national survey of 800 registered voters, conducted on behalf of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), found that 63 percent of respondents would disapprove, if the Supreme Court restricted the availability of tax credits under the Affordable Care Act (ACA), with 44 percent strongly disapproving.

By contrast, just 29 percent of American voters would approve of the Supreme Court siding with the plaintiffs in King v. Burwell. A ruling in favor of the plaintiffs could eliminate the health care subsidies in 34 states. Only 15 percent strongly favored the Court pulling the federal subsidies and depriving millions of Americans of coverage under the ACA.

According to the poll, even 56 percent of Republican voters want to keep the subsidies in place. 74 percent of Democrats and 57 percent of Independents support upholding the subsidies."

 

[QuickSilver]

So I guess I need to ask the obvious... WHY do so many want the ACA gone? WHY is there such a gleeful call to throw 10 million people out of their healthcare? Why do some simply want to hurt other people.. to what end? It baffles me every day. I have always been fortunate enough to have a job that provided health insurance.. BUT I realize that not everyone is that lucky.. and YES.. I call it luck. Had I been born into different circumstances I may not have been afforded the opportunities that I have had.. I know I worked hard.. but I had the opportunity to work hard. I cannot find one reason why I would want others, not as fortunate, to go without being able to see a doctor and get the care they need. What would that do for me? Why should that make me happy? It boggles the mind.

 

[Ralphy1]

Is there anything that Obama has done that is palatable to most Repubs?

 

[QuickSilver]

Is there anything that Obama has done that is palatable to most Repubs?

Not that I can think of off the top of my head...

 

[Josiah]

The GOP regularly trots out their Socialism screed but I think it really all boils down to animus towards Obama.

 

[Glinda]

So I guess I need to ask the obvious... WHY do so many want the ACA gone? WHY is there such a gleeful call to throw 10 million people out of their healthcare? Why do some simply want to hurt other people.. to what end? It baffles me every day. I have always been fortunate enough to have a job that provided health insurance.. BUT I realize that not everyone is that lucky.. and YES.. I call it luck. Had I been born into different circumstances I may not have been afforded the opportunities that I have had.. I know I worked hard.. but I had the opportunity to work hard. I cannot find one reason why I would want others, not as fortunate, to go without being able to see a doctor and get the care they need. What would that do for me? Why should that make me happy? It boggles the mind.

Well said as usual, QS. Many of those who oppose President Obama live in a deep, slimey well of pure hatred for him. I truly believe they'd sacrifice their own loved ones (if, in fact, they're capable of love) before they'd knowingly allow President Obama the slightest victory.

 

[Glinda]

What I don't understand is that if the SCOTUS decides against the government millions of people in states that opted for belonging to the federal exchange will loose their subsidized insurance. Horrific for sure. But why wouldn't the ACA continue to function well in the states with state run exchanges? And what we'd have would be a startlingly clear demonstration of how people are much better off with the ACA than without it. I could live with that because the political pressure in the Red states to create state run exchanges would be enormous.

Yes, it's hard to find anything definite about what would happen in the states that do have their own marketplace. I am particularly interested in this question as I'm on Covered California, as the ACA is called here. If the SCOTUS sides with the plaintiffs, I don't see how it could affect my coverage but we have to assume they've got something up their sleeves to make people suffer. If the court stays the decision until the end of 2015, I should be able to limp home to Medicare in early 2016 but it's a shame we have to live in fear this way.

 

[QuickSilver]

My husband is 63 and I currently carry him on my Employer insurance.. but what if I suddenly become unable to work? He is out of luck as Illinois uses the Federal Exchange and did not start their own. My Son is covered under the Illinois Medicaid expansion so he will lose that coverage. He is a vet and does have some coverage with the VA.. but limited..as his condition is not service related.. So.. I wonder why people are so gleeful about him losing coverage? Are they simply evil ba$tard$? OR are they just, as some have stated, blinded by red hot hatred of our President? One has to wonder.

 

[WhatInThe]

We won't get accurate surveys until after this tax season because many don't even know about the mandate or paper work involved. A form with over a dozen pages of instruction. Many tax preparers are charging extra for the aca paperwork. Then you don't even have those that tried to use their plan pay the deductibles and co pays.

If the Republicans had just tried to eliminate the mandates it would've bought time most other provisions would've remained in place.

 

[Butterfly]

Well said as usual, QS. Many of those who oppose President Obama live in a deep, slimey well of pure hatred for him. I truly believe they'd sacrifice their own loved ones (if, in fact, they're capable of love) before they'd knowingly allow President Obama the slightest victory.

Agreed. I still don't see why they get their panties in such a knot about single-payer healthcare or universal healthcare.

 

[Warrigal]

We're fighting to protect our universal healthcare known as Medicare. Our current government has no commitment and is always looking at ways to white-ant it.

 

[Jackie22]

Well said as usual, QS. Many of those who oppose President Obama live in a deep, slimey well of pure hatred for him. I truly believe they'd sacrifice their own loved ones (if, in fact, they're capable of love) before they'd knowingly allow President Obama the slightest victory.

I agree, Glinda, and this hatred is one of the driving forces that is taking our country backwards instead of forward.

 

[QuickSilver]

I agree, Glinda, and this hatred is one of the driving forces that is taking our country backwards instead of forward.

What's sad is that it makes ZERO sense.. Most of those out there picketing against the ACA probably have no understanding of why.. other than the hate the President. The fact that millions of people that did not have healthcare are now being helped means nothing to them.. Obama won.. by getting the bill passed. The lives of fellow Americans is not of importance to them... Small price to pay for defeating Obama.. WTH.. How do they look in the mirror?