Friday, June 29, 2012

Obamacare upheld; now what?

You can almost see the invisible crown above that smug face.

Since I've written so much about the ACA mystery house that Congress and the Prez erected to extend availability of health care to significantly more of us, I suppose I must comment. Thoughts, in no particular order:
  • Now we know, if we didn't already, that our system of government has become something of a revolving monarchy. Yesterday one judge got to decide for the country who has a chance and who dies among millions of people. (Yes, I know, some days we have other kings -- Presidents and maybe spooks and generals. And last decade we had a VP acting as king. We do monarchy these days.) Didn't we once fight a revolution against that sort of unaccountable power? Oh, no, I misunderstood -- we fought a revolution so rich people wouldn't have to pay taxes to the king …
  • Why did yesterday's king do what he did, endorse something he obviously detests? There are theories. Maybe he wanted to immunize his court from the charge of being nothing but a Republican obstacle to the progress of the nation? Maybe he harkened back to his days a legal flack for insurance companies and hospitals -- the health care corporations that stand to profit from the ACA? Or , just maybe, he recognized that if he weren't Chief Justice of the Court he wouldn't be able to get health insurance himself, being 57 and having experienced a small seizure?
  • What will the limitations the court imposed on extending Medicaid do in the real world? Apparently "states rights" are so sacrosanct that seven judges were willing to allow miserly states to opt out of providing help to poor people for acquiring health care. If the obvious candidate states opt to maintain their ideological purity and reject Federal help to extend care, some 2 million people in Texas and nearly as many in Florida will still be without access to doctors in the next decade. That's okay with seven Supremes. Somebody has to compromise you know -- our monarchs will compromise them.
  • Mitt Romney the Republican candidate can now spend the campaign running against Mitt Romney, the Massachusetts governor. Let's hope his grudging Tea Party fan boys find this confusing.
  • I will boldly predict that the health care law decision will play little role in deciding who gets elected President. People already hate it, love it, or tolerate it. But mostly, no one believes in it. Whoever thought it was a smart idea to enact something that would not begin to help people for four years condemned this initiative to long term controversy. Perhaps this was someone who never had to worry about getting health care -- like all our elites?

5 comments:

Kay Dennison said...

Sadly, you are soooo right!!!!

Jane Meyerding said...

What do you think of the idea that Roberts' decision was the opening salvo in a campaign to rein in the commerce clause?

janinsanfran said...

@Jane -- I have no doubt that majority of the Court would overturn use of the commerce clause to intrude upon "states' rights." But evidently, at least yesterday, it was impolitic for Roberts and the rest to do that so visibly.

It's our job to keep it impolitic, to win elections and generate heat.

ccusic said...

2 provisions. (and more) are already in effect and have directly affected my own family. My niece had an extra years coverage through ACA, to find a job with benefits. She has a significant pre-existing condition which absolutely needed consistent coverage at an affordable rate.
My granddaughter has a serious genetic condition, presently covered by her father's job. That job is a precarious one in this economic time (all co-workers below his job description have been laid off-his group will be next). Her pre-existing condition would be covered at a reasonable cost (@ $100 month) by ACA.
I believe (maybe wrong) that some of drug coverage for seniors is already in effect.
Why weren't people like this standing with Obama at his press conference?

Kay Dennison said...

Thanks for coming by -- I know how busy you are. Ohio is a purple state and we've been kicked around too much. We have a great team and the Obama folks are really standing with us. I even got note from 'Obama' thanking me for my work. Our current Congressman voted 100% with the GOP (who gerrymandered our district and made things worse) so I'm trying to see if I can help Betty, too.