Affordable Care Controversy

The lead article in today’s New York Times, “Supreme Court is Asked to Rule on Health Care,” is a gutsy move by the administration to avoid delay and expedite a ruling on the Affordable Care Act after the 11th circuit court held the individual mandate unconstitutional.

Opponents of the ACA have seized on the individual mandate as a focus of their efforts to repeal the law, not because they were opposed to the individual mandate at the time of legislative approval, but because they will do anything to roll back President Obama’s signature achievement.

Taking the rising healthcare costs as a given, the ACA is most noteworthy, in my opinion, because it covers so many formerly uninsured people. I am more than willing to pay a higher premium for the sake of the vulnerable who either can’t afford insurance or were prohibited due to pre-existing conditions from getting any.

In yesterday’s action asking for expedited review by the Supreme Court, the Justice Department noted that other landmark legislation had been challenged in court such as the Civil Rights Act and Social Security Act. In fact, the current suit really represents nothing other than sour grapes from Republicans who lost the legislative battle to stop enactment.