It's a win/ lose lose/ win. According to Kaiser Health News;
“Individuals who don’t have affordable group coverage through their employers will be extremely harmed if the whole law is scrapped,” said Amy Gordon, a partner in the Chicago office of law firm McDermott Will & Emery who focuses on group health insurance and welfare benefits. Those who have pre-existing illnesses would be among the most vulnerable, she said.
Insurers, too, have a lot at stake: While the law saddles them with new regulations and taxes, it also positions them to reap an additional $1 trillion in gross revenue over eight years, largely from new customers, according to one forecast by Bloomberg Government, a for-profit news and research firm."
A lot of people who were against the law are now for it as time goes on, as they reap some of the benefits, such as the pre-existing clause and coverage of young adults up to age 26 in college. If the court tosses out the requirement that everybody have insurance, but still require insurers to take everybody and charge equal rates, look out. If people that are actually sick sign up, insurance rates could go so sky high that no one (except the well off, of course) would be able to afford it. It's not advantageous for insurance companies to sell to everybody without a requirement that most people buy coverage! States that tried that had premiums go sky high because not enough healthy people bought insurance! The 5 to 4 court is going to make a decision that affects damn near everybody one way or another. I'd wager Big In$urers will win one way or another.
Mr. Fargo
6/26/2012 2:27:51 PM
President Obama took the Republican alternative option to Universal Health Care & implemented it in the Affordable Health Care law........now the Radical Right Wing Activists in the Supreme Court might declare that alternative unconstitutional...........so the only thing left at the table will be Universal Health Care............the GOP & Big Insurance must be squirming behind closed doors..........how are they going to fix the health care bill without the individual mandate?????????????? I see this as an option to fight for Medicare for Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!
Mr. Fargo
6/26/2012 2:22:53 PM
Not putting single payer, the pubic option or Medicare for Everyone on the table was a very very big mistake.................the individual mandate has been a big target of the radical right even though it is a traditional Republican idea..................so if it gets struck down will the Democratic Leadership have the guts to fight for Medicare for all................if the GOP alternative "individual mandate" gets struck down then they will no longer have an option at the table when we fight for single payer universal health care................the insurance companies & the GOP really love the individual mandate & it is what they really want....but they might no longer have it as an option if the Supreme Court strikes it down.................so in my opinion I hope the Radical Right Wing of the Supreme Court does strike the individual mandate down because the only option left is to expand Medicare!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bob Bobonde, Minto ND.
6/26/2012 12:35:56 PM
Will the supreme court end up with blood on their hands? the GOP won't be happy til we have dead bodies laying around in the gutters of third world america.
Brandon, Orange County
6/26/2012 10:29:49 AM
The question is whether SCOTUS will do what is right for the country or right for the political field. Mr. Potter described is correctly when it comes to the mandate. We do not want the whole thing stricken because then is results in out taxes increasing to pay for the growing cost of healthcare and the very sick that we will have to pay for because they cannot get their own insurance. Without the mandate however, the healthy who have insurance will see their premiums go up due to the large amount of sick people now buying insurance because they cannot be turned away. I hope SCOTUS doesn't follow the beliefs of Scalia and becomes truly for the country and not the party. Thursday will tell.
Puyallup Girl
6/26/2012 2:04:55 AM
It is obvious that some members of the Supreme Court, are busy playing Politics. We need to re-elect President Obama. It could not be any more obvious, why!!!!!!!! Do I have so spell it all out????
ron mariposa
6/26/2012 12:22:45 AM
The scotus did in the AZ law and jan brewer was wrong the court didnt rule on the 4th part of the law as it was put into pratice yet. And now that part of the law will most likely be toss in furture law suits... Do you know jan the finger doesnt have a college and she has only radlogical tech cert, She didnt even go high than that, and sad to say she was born in ca and moved to az, So she is one of the favorites as she speaks the extrem rights talking points.
If this court strikes down any part of it then the law will be destroyed and people should be upset as now they will lose what the already has been given to them. The other side of this will be a down hill slide for the states like california where it is mandated to have car insurance to drive and own a car, truck or motorcyle. I can see the people here taking the state to court because we are forced to buy insurance...
Finally the montana case shows how little the court believes in state rights, They are saying to montana you can control you own state elections, what is next by the right a court case to do their dogs and cat to be allowed to donate to their phony 501-c4s super pacs.
just my humble views
eagleeye
6/26/2012 12:01:50 AM
I believe the SC rulings today tell us what we can expect from them on the health care law.
It might get interesting though. One College Constitutional Law Professor sited 3 amendments the SC was in violation of when overturning Montana's law. Now it depends on if any one has the guts to chanllenge them. I doubt it. They have clearly shown they have no interest in the Constitution. Scalia blasting Obama was clear on that point.
donnajoy
6/25/2012 10:19:33 PM
It would be so unfortunate if the Supreme Court strikes down the Affordable Healthcare Act. So many people have already benefited by this Law and as it is rolled out more and more people will see benefits as well. At some point the will of the people has to win. It is just hard to say when this will take place. Thursday may turn out better than we expect.
linda, virginia
6/25/2012 9:53:44 PM
About the Az.Law.....what was Jan Brewer smoking? Everything in her law was gutted.... right?
