Posted on 12/16/2018 7:37:33 AM PST by Mariner
WASHINGTON — A federal judge’s ruling that the Obama health law is unconstitutional has landed like a stink bomb among Republicans, who’ve seen the politics of health care flip as Americans increasingly value the overhaul’s core parts, including protections for pre-existing medical conditions and Medicaid for more low-income people.
While the decision by the Republican-appointed judge in Texas was sweeping, it has little immediate practical impact because the Affordable Care Act remains in place while the legal battle continues, possibly to the Supreme Court.
HealthCare.gov , the government’s site for signing up, was taking applications Saturday, the deadline in most states for enrolling for coverage next year, and those benefits will take effect as scheduled Jan. 1. Medicaid expansion will proceed in Virginia, one of the latest states to accept that option. Employers will still be required to cover the young adult children of workers, and Medicare recipients will still get discounted prescription drugs.
But Republicans, still stinging from their loss of the House in the midterm elections, are facing a fresh political quandary after U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor said the entire 2010 health law was invalid.
Warnings about the Texas lawsuit were part of the political narrative behind Democrats’ electoral gains. Health care was the top issue for about one-fourth of voters in the November election, ahead of immigration and jobs and the economy, according to VoteCast, a nationwide survey for The Associated Press. Those most concerned with health care supported Democrats overwhelmingly.
In his ruling, O’Connor reasoned that the body of the law could not be surgically separated from its now-meaningless requirement for people to have health insurance.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
They had ample opportunity to address it.
And failed.
>>While the decision by the Republican-appointed judge in Texas
How queer, didn’t the media backhand President Trump for pointing out the partisanship of Obama and Clinton appointed judges?
I’m sure that Chief Obama Judge Roberts will illegally fix Obama’s illegal law for him again.
Funny.
As time passes, I see people hating the whole stinking mess more and more.
I don’t see all these people valuing the overpriced emergency care policies.
“it has little immediate practical impact”
Okay then how every outrages ruling from some renegade Judge Against a Trump EO apply to the entire country immediately?
Between Mcstain voting no on repeal of Butcare and not getting the wall built, screw the Pubbies. It’s all up to Trump as usual. And if he fails then it falls on you and me to get pissed, like we’re not already,to get out and demonstrate like I did back in 10 and other times.
pre-existing medical conditions and Medicaid for more low-income people
The replacement for Obamacare (for working Americans anyway, and thanks to President Trump that's most of us) should be open-ended medical spending acc'ts -- currently these before-tax accounts expire at the end of each year (money not used by the following March I think it is, heads off to the gubmint), and that should end. By the end of our working life there's be a pile of cash in there, excellent timing, since most of our health care dollars are spent near the end. Meanwhile, health insurance premiums would be paid out of one's own acc't, so would the deductibles, and the pre-existing conditions protection should be kept (it was the trojan horse for the entire fiasco anyway).
Republicans deserve what they get in this. They had ample opportunity to address it. And failed.
***************
They squandered two precious years. But hey, doing nothing is situation normal for them.
The Gutless Old Party just living up to its sordid reputation.
There's no fixing that.
It's hard to blame the GOP for failing to fix the problem when even many so-called "conservatives" right here on this website are adamant about keeping most of Obamacare's worst and most destructive provisions in place.
Agreed but the dems should get the lions share of this - it should andnmust destroy them politically and force them from power in how this was passed and how this it was abused for political favoritism but it won’t.
The GOP will be blamed entirely for its failure and hurting poor riddle Obama - because, like socialism, it wasn’t properly tried.
Nancy has Nancycare ready to go
Obamacare was just another way to play with OUR money.....AND....to look at all our assets. Nothing more than data mining.
Yep, exactly. What’s even more furious is accepting the premise that Medicare and Madicaid is guaranteed and should be continuously federally funded.
‘zackly right.
Any hospital that had received federal funds was duty-bound to take anyone who walked in.
They didn’t “fail” because they wanted to show us all that they lied. Particularly the late Mr. McCain, who made Zerocare repeal a central theme of his re-election bid.
Between Mcstain voting no on repeal of Butcare and not getting the wall built, screw the Pubbies.
********************************
To be clear, what the SINGLE “thumbs down” RINO McCain killed (with the gleeful assistance of EVERY Senate Democrat) was a repeal AND REPLACE of the poorly thought out Obamacare legislation.
With McCain now gone and with (hopefully) the impending death of Obamacare, perhaps now a well-thought-out REPLACEMENT of Obamacare can be enacted.
PS — Don’t be defeatist! There’s no need for that and it’s counterproductive.
You're confusing healthcare savings accounts with healthcare spending accounts. The spending accounts are for a year only and are on a use-it-or-lose-it system and are meant for people with low deductible plans. Healthcare savings accounts can role over year by year and were meant to be used with high-deductible plans.
By the end of our working life there's be a pile of cash in there, excellent timing, since most of our health care dollars are spent near the end.
Assuming you or your family have no major medical expenses your entire working life. How many people are that fortunate?
They have had 10 years to come up with one. You think they can do it now?
Obamacare is here to stay. Judge will fail with the power of the communists Democrats in control of Government.
“...It’s all up to Trump as usual. ...”
It has been so since Day One.
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