President Obama's landmark health care reform law was upheld in a 5-4 Supreme Court decision Thursday.
The main provision, which requires all Americans to buy health care insurance, will stand. The Affordable Care Act has been the source of partisan debate since it was enacted on March 23, 2010.
But the law also provides funds for states to increase Medicaid programs, which could help uninsured residents. After the news broke that the law would be upheld, the Los Angeles County Director of Health Services, Dr. Mitchell Katz, issued a statement saying the law would mean that 80% of the county's 2.2 million people would be insured starting in 2014 under the expansion of Medi-Cal.
Congressman Adam Schiff released the following statement heralding the Supreme Court’s decision Thursday on the President’s health care reform law:
I am very pleased to see that the Supreme Court has upheld the health care reform law. These hard-passed reforms will be beneficial to the country – already, 17 million children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage by insurers, seniors have received additional help with prescription drug prices, college graduates can stay on their parents policies, small employers and the self-employed will soon be able to purchase health insurance at bulk discount rates, and millions of Americans will have health insurance for the first time.
I am also pleased for another reason: The Court was at risk of becoming yet another partisan institution if it threw out decades of precedent. The Chief Justice chose a different legacy, and this was not only the correct legal decision, it was also enormously important to maintaining the independence and reputation of the Court."
Assemblyman Tim Donnelly posted the following message about the ruling on his Facebook page:
When the government can tell you what to buy in a market in which they are the biggest player, forcing you to subsidize those who made poor choices, you are no longer free. This is not about healthcare; it's about freedom. This is not about a tax or a mandate; this is about whether or not Americans will choose to live free or bow down to a tyrannical government. Obamacare is the trojan horse of... socialism. The choice confronting every American is whether you will obey this encroachment of your liberties, or throw off the yoke of servitude and nullify this unconstitutional directive. They can put a gun to my head, but I will never pay this tax, nor participate in Gov't run healthcare. What say you? Godspeed.
