—”We don’t think it’s in the court’s place to look at the budgetary implications,” Kneedler replied.—
I’m glad SOMEONE gets it. Their job is to look at the CONSTITUTIONAL implications, explicitly, and let the budgetary chips (and all other chips) fall where they may.
Hope Roberts seizes on this "torpedo" and turns it right back at those who argue "everyone" needs to get on board the "Good Ship Obama Care!"
And may all those who thought it was such a "BFD" to launch it be the ones who go down with it. Better they than the Constitution, which the Left has been so busy chipping away at that they--in their overweening pride and arrogance--think they have reduced from a "mighty berg" into a "mere cube"!
The law prohibits insurance companies from turning down applicants or charging higher rates for people with pre-existing conditions, thereby adding costs intended to be offset by bringing in more young and healthy clients through the mandate, with its penalty for not purchasing insurance.But if the individual mandate were ruled out, asked Justice Anthony Kennedy, what would happen to the insurance industry, which would now be in the hole for $350 billion over 10 years?
Therein lies the underlying problem. The way the law is written, if the individual mandate fails, people won't be buying insurance, they'll be buying healthcare. The whole concept of "insurance" will have been destroyed -- by an act of Congress.
Buying insurance means sharing the risk of a certain expense with others. Insurance is, literally, a hedge against future costs.
Obamacare, however, converts insurance directly into a healthcare provider. People aren't required to buy it until they need it!. That's not insurance -- the whole principle of "insurance" has been averted.
Under the circumstances, insurance companies would be forced to set their premiums at some number in excess of actual healthcare outlays. Which would:
1. Make the premiums exceedingly expensive -- more expensive than the actual cost of the healthcare.
2. Meaning that, consequently, nobody could afford them.
3. Meaning that, the whole healthcare system breaks down.
4. Which is precisely what the federal government wants -- so that they can takeover and establish a single-payer system, themselves.
The Obamacare law -- with or without the individual mandate -- is totally unworkable. And absolutely insane.