GOP fears it will win ObamaCare court battle

The Hill ^ | June 9, 2015 | Alexander Bolton 


[maggief]

Republicans in Congress are worried the Supreme Court will hand them a major headache this month if it rules against the federal health insurance exchanges in more than 30 states, ending subsidies for millions of people.

While the Affordable Care Act remains broadly unpopular, two new polls show a majority of Americans don’t want to do away with its subsidies, a core component of the law.

This poses a conundrum for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio). They are under pressure from colleagues up for reelection in swing states and districts to extend the subsidies, at least temporarily, if the court strikes them down. But doing so would risk a backlash from the conservative base. The Supreme Court is expected to hand down its decision in King v. Burwell, which could strip 6.4 million people of health insurance subsidies, in late June.

States that would be hardest hit by a ruling against the law include the Senate battlegrounds of Illinois, North Carolina, Ohio and Wisconsin.

“The politics of the King vs. Burwell case are extremely treacherous and tricky for Republicans because if the subsidies are thrown out by the court, Republicans are in the position of having to create a fix that would be seen as a problem by their most conservative supporters,” said John Ullyot, a GOP strategist and former senior Senate aide.

[Paladin2]

Congress are too lazy and afraid to do their jobs.

[MNDude]

I’m sure they’ll find a way to save it.

[winner3000]

This just shows that the opposition to Obamacare by the GOP is just show. This is the Don’t Rock The Boat GOP vs. the Let’s Rock this Sucka’ Democrats.
We need a conservative partisan in the White House to undo at least some of the damage Obama has done in 8 years, or at least to make sure that the taxpayer money gushing into left wing organizations gets stopped.

[ICE-FLYER]

I fear they will screw up the victory.

[kennedy]

It will be the budget fight all over again. The democrats will demand a “clean” bill that restores subsidies and the Republicans will cave.

[bert]

The basis for this article is fallacious

There are very few Americans that get subsidies.

Most of America gets health insurance at work or from Medicare

[proxy_user]

The proposed strategy is to allow the subsidies, but remove the mandate. Obama would veto such a bill, and the GOP could then blame Obama for blocking the restoration of the subsidies.

My proposal would be to keep the mandate, but reduce the penalty to a tax of $2 per person. Obama would still probably veto such a bill, but he would look even stupider.

[Lakeshark]

I will be shocked if the court rules against bamstercare.

John Roberts, aka traitor, appears to be bought and sold. I doubt he will go against his masters. He will contort himself into multiple pretzels showing why the language really meant something it clearly doesn't. Again.

[Fresh Wind]

...two new polls show a majority of Americans don’t want to do away with its subsidies...

Yeah, free money is always popular.

[Flick Lives]

While the Affordable Care Act remains broadly unpopular, two new polls show a majority of Americans don’t want to do away with its subsidies, a core component of the law.

...and there is how every republic slides into a dictatorship. People love "free stuff" as long as someone else is paying for it. A willful ignorance of economic cause and effect always ends in a dictatorship.

[House Atreides]

And so the ongoing psychological warfare campaign against the gullible (but well compensated by lobbyists allied with the ‘RATS) Boehner and McConnell continues.

[grania]

Is this the same Congress that didn't defund Obamacare when they could've because they wanted to use it as a campaign issue?

How is it possible to get more fed up with them?

[servantboy777]

>>Republicans in Congress are worried the Supreme Court will hand them a major headache this month if it rules against the federal health insurance exchanges<<

Good grief. If true, the republican party needs to become the third party.

[circlecity]

I’m am sick of the Pubs always going on the defensive for problems caused by the libs. They need to get a united message and hammer home the fact that such a decision would be exclusively the Dems fault for forcing a vote on a bill nobody had read or had a chance to study and debate. If the supreme court gets rid of federal subsidies it will be because of the plain language of the law. A law the only the dems passed. A law that was forced on the country without a chance to read or study. The dems own this and the pubs need to make that clear every time they open their mouth.

[CincyRichieRich]

Congress are too lazy and afraid to do their jobs.

---

Sorry, you are wrong; they work very hard at what they consider their jobs; their jobs are to stay in the minority and build their kingdoms...to help everyone get along and to ensure their place on Sunday shows or other interviews are intact and they don’t look mean and nasty. That is what they believe to be their job.

I’d like to see a real poll of how those here in Ohio REALLY see Boehner now and how those in KY who allowed McConnell to win the primary REALLY view him now.

Assuming the SCOTUS strikes down 0bummer today or tomorrow...if the Pubbies bail him out, will there be an uprising or will Rush, Beck, Savage, Hannity simply say, “I told you so”...there should be a march on DC with pitchforks.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

This is the 25th time I've seen the story suggesting the GOP will renege on getting rid of socialized medicine.

I wonder if this has been “placed” by Donk insiders...

[Pollster1]

Democrats passed that terrible law without a single republican vote and with no republican input, in most cases without reading the law. A democrat signed that terrible law without reading it and with no conservative support. If the Supreme Court actually reads the law and rules that the law no one else read means what it says, how would that be a problem for republicans?

My preference: Low information voters have short memories, while involved conservatives have long memories. The GOP should let Obamacare die. Freedom is more important than a temporary hissy fit from liberal losers who will have forgotten long before the next election so even our most shallow RINO insiders don't have to worry about losing their cushy jobs for doing their jobs.

[hondact200]

No problem while Obama was in Germany, he stated in an interview “The Supreme Court should have never taken the case as ObamaCare is working”.

ObamaCare is working Yeah right i is working so damn good that i got a $6500.00 medical bill for an emergency surgery because medicare denied payment. I had no choice, either have the surgery or be planted 6 feet under!

[Moonman62]

I’m sure they’ll find a way to save it.

...

Yep. There’s a lot of people and corporations making a fortune from Obamacare.