WatchWhoops.......so much for Shrek's predictive ability. I'm beginning to like Roberts. First he throws out the Arizona law, now he upholds health care reform.
I'm actually pretty amazed by this decision. I hope it represents a real evolution in the thinking of John Roberts and not just a couple of instances of temporary sanity.
Liberal chief justice John Roberts........I like the sound of that!
Follow
Befriend (48)
274 threads
12,655 comments
47 male
Lafayette, CA
Premium
Updated at 10:16 a.m. ET] Kate Bolduan reports that the Chief Justice John Roberts issued a long opinion in which he said the controversial individual mandate may be upheld and is within Congress’ power under the taxing clause rather than the commerce clause.
[Updated at 10:15 a.m. ET] The Supreme Court has upheld the entire health care law by a vote of 5 to 4, Supreme Court Producer Bill Mears said. That includes the medicare provision
Follow
Befriend
1 threads
31 comments
Shrewsbury, MA
I'll drink to that. Now only if they can reign in the pharma companies' exhorbitant pricing and the hospitals as well....
Follow
Befriend (4)
52 threads
4,416 comments
Corning, NY
Premium
Yeah it seems like the "conservative" justices go "liberal" once they get on the supreme court. After all, they want the New York Times to write nice things about them.
Follow
Befriend (48)
274 threads
12,655 comments
47 male
Lafayette, CA
Premium
wthrfrk80 says
Naww....I think it works the other way. Roberts will be called a traitor and a communist by the right wing mainstream press. He'll receive death threats, he'll be burned in effigy, and the lunatic teabaggers will make him public enemy #1.
After looking at all the blind hatred from the right, it's possible he'll have an epiphany.
Follow
Befriend
1 threads
31 comments
Shrewsbury, MA
wthrfrk80 says
what has this to do with conservative vs liberals? You would think people would use common sense and use the power for the general good (atleast the judiciary arm should be above politics)
Follow
Befriend (4)
52 threads
4,416 comments
Corning, NY
Premium
I guess I'm not surprised at the decision. The mandate to buy private insurance is a big win for the big insurance companies, and we all know who rules America.
Follow
Befriend (54)
5,240 threads
6,175 comments
46 male
Menlo Park, CA
Premium
AJ1201 says
Pharma companies are protected by their large campaign contributions. So to fix their exhorbitant pricing, you have to first limit the ability of corporations to donate to congressional campaigns.
Unfortunately we took a big step backwards there with the Citizens United ruling.
The Pirate Party of Sweden points out that pharma companies spend only 15% of revenue on research and that the government could easily pay for all pharma research with only a fraction of the money the government is forced to spend on those high-priced drugs:
http://www2.piratpartiet.se/an_alternative_to_pharmaceutical_patents/
Follow
Befriend (4)
52 threads
4,416 comments
Corning, NY
Premium
AJ1201 says
That's funny. Good one!
Follow
Befriend (28)
182 threads
4,620 comments
Premium
The Teabaggers likely have already sent out a sniper team, likely all medicare recipients, to take out Roberts.
Follow
Befriend
10 threads
419 comments
Great News !!!
Why did the stock down 1% then?
Follow
Befriend (13)
107 threads
3,865 comments
wthrfrk80 says
Pretty much. And that's the sad truth is that this bill is a sweetheart deal for insurance companies and AMA, while everyone else will be paying for it.
Follow
Befriend (48)
274 threads
12,655 comments
47 male
Lafayette, CA
Premium
wthrfrk80 says
I don't understand the logic behind this helping insurance corps.
Follow
Befriend (4)
52 threads
4,416 comments
Corning, NY
Premium
iwog says
I thought there was no public option.
How does forcing people to buy health insurance NOT help insurance companies?
Follow
Befriend (13)
107 threads
3,865 comments
iwog says
What public option? There is no public option. Just private insurance, and it can't be sold across state lines either so if your state has only one carrier, good luck!
Follow
Befriend (48)
274 threads
12,655 comments
47 male
Lafayette, CA
Premium
My bad, the public option needs to be added.
Follow
Befriend (13)
107 threads
3,865 comments
iwog says
You may have noticed healthcare stocks are going up, because that's where the money will be flowing with this bill.
Follow
Befriend (48)
274 threads
12,655 comments
47 male
Lafayette, CA
Premium
Wait.....there is a public option. It's the medicaid expansion for low income people.
Follow
Befriend (1)
24 threads
557 comments
It's a good idea in principle, but it sure isn't helping job growth, which has been voters #1 priority for Obama since he got elected.
Follow
Befriend (4)
52 threads
4,416 comments
Corning, NY
Premium
See, that's what I'm saying.
I don't see how this is a win for anyone but the big insurance monopolies.
Sure, from a purely partisan standpoint it's a "win" for Obama and his supporters. But how is it a win for average people?
This is America. We take the worst ideas from the Left and Right and make it into laws that enrich the well-connected few at the expense of the many.
Follow
Befriend (4)
52 threads
4,416 comments
Corning, NY
Premium
FortWayne says
Yep. The market doesn't lie.
Follow
Befriend (13)
107 threads
3,865 comments
iwog says
Medicaid expansion was taken out, and even if it wasn't it's not that isn't a public option. Public option is when you have a choice... but with this law you don't.
America is still the land where the only choices we get are trivial and meaningless, and now even more so.
Follow
Befriend (3)
12 threads
600 comments
xenogear3 says
Cause the banks are junk. Not related to op I know.
Follow
Befriend (54)
5,240 threads
6,175 comments
46 male
Menlo Park, CA
Premium
FortWayne says
We definitely need a public option for everyone to force the private insurance carriers to slow down their orgy of rate increases.
How can we get that public option, and the ability to buy private insurance across state lines? Organizing and motivating voters is hard without money, and the insurers are the ones with the money, not the rest of us.
Follow
Befriend (48)
274 threads
12,655 comments
47 male
Lafayette, CA
Premium
wthrfrk80 says
No lifetime benefit caps, no pre-existing condition denials, no denial of children for any reason, low income access to health care, no more using emergency rooms as a doctor's office, government oversight over rates and profits.
There's plenty of good stuff in this law.
Follow
Befriend (28)
182 threads
4,620 comments
Premium
The civil suits and campaigns at doctor's office level will begin immediately, as well as offshore funding of political disruption campaigns to get rid of Obama, seat Romney, and begin dismantling of Obamacare, medicare, medicade, social security and, of course, establishment of helicopter hunting licenses for 'illegals' on the premise that wetbacks are the Real Reason health care is not half as cheap as it could be, even though it is the best in the world, none better, etc.
Follow
Befriend (4)
52 threads
4,416 comments
Corning, NY
Premium
FortWayne,
I just checked WLP and HUM and their stock is down vs. the market average, not up. What stocks are you referring to?
Follow
Befriend (48)
274 threads
12,655 comments
47 male
Lafayette, CA
Premium
Ruki says
Wow seriously? There isn't anyone on the left with the hatred for this country that the right exhibits every day.
I think Roberts was an ass for Citizen's United but maybe he's coming around. I've never called him a traitor, burned him in effigy, or sent him a death threat.
Follow
Befriend (4)
52 threads
4,416 comments
Corning, NY
Premium
APOCALYPSEDUCK is Shostakovich says
What about RomneyCare?
That's what I don't understand. Romney isn't all that conservative on health care and social issues. But he'll give the top 0.1% whatever they want of course.
Follow
Befriend (48)
274 threads
12,655 comments
47 male
Lafayette, CA
Premium
The worst Republican nightmare is to have Obamacare fully in effect. They thrive on ignorance.
Follow
Befriend (4)
52 threads
4,416 comments
Corning, NY
Premium
iwog says
Which means rates go up. A lot.
There's no free lunch. And now I MUST pay whatever rate the insurnace companies demand, or I pay a penalty.
How is this a victory for anyone?
Follow
Befriend (48)
274 threads
12,655 comments
47 male
Lafayette, CA
Premium
Ruki says
I'll chalk this up to the same quality as all your other predictions.
"I'll make sure health care corporations can deny coverage for your child!"
~ Romney 2012
Follow
Befriend (4)
52 threads
4,416 comments
Corning, NY
Premium
iwog says
That sounds like blind partisanship. Sure, the decision is a win for the Democrat "team" but is it really a win for average people?
Follow
Befriend (13)
107 threads
3,865 comments
wthrfrk80 says
Healthcare providers. Insurer stocks dropped slightly this morning (all the shorts pre Supreme Court decision came in from yesterday), but are climbing back up.
Follow
Befriend (48)
274 threads
12,655 comments
47 male
Lafayette, CA
Premium
wthrfrk80 says
Because your premise is flawed. EVERYONE IS ALREADY COVERED. Anyone having a heart attack drives to the nearest hospital regardless of insurance and is treated immediately.
We might see costs drop instead of increase because poor people will be able to get medication instead of suffering the very expensive results of having none.
Follow
Befriend (48)
274 threads
12,655 comments
47 male
Lafayette, CA
Premium
wthrfrk80 says
Yes. It's a win for average people. I'd like to see universal heatlh care, but this is better than what we had before.
Follow
Befriend (28)
182 threads
4,620 comments
Premium
What about it? The insurances rate rises were pulling businesses into a very bad place and the commonwealth pushed back. It's not a lefty posture. A leftist position would to take control of the insurers or make their business illegal and put up a state-controlled monopoly.
Romney has almost no politics outside a personal, Mormon success theology that kinda looks like Republicanism. He's a quivering minion of the cult of Mormon. He picks up the phone and asks the poobahs in SLC if it's time for him to use the bathroom. He says a little prayer to Moroni before he makes the call that, again, they'll allow him to urinate.
He wants to deliver a Mormon Dynasty to the guys in SLC. That's his programming. His time as governor told the whole story. He's not really there. He's just a vessel for institutional ambitions. Success is standing next to the largest pile of loot in the room.
Follow
Befriend (48)
274 threads
12,655 comments
47 male
Lafayette, CA
Premium
Ruki says
I didn't think Roberts would be smart enough to follow the constitution, but apparently he is.
Anyway you crack me up. First you say that the Supreme Court knocking down Obamacare will help Romney, then you say the Supreme Court upholding Obamacare will help Romney.
Brilliant.
Follow
Befriend
4 threads
241 comments
wthrfrk80 says
Hard to know what an "average" person is in regards to health care. But in general I would say an average person benefits by having health care insurance as opposed to not having it and this law makes coverage more available, the question is at what cost. Single payer would be far better and far cheaper.
It is a win for the insurance companies, but also a loss as it does limit their profits and overhead to 20% of premium collected.
It is a huge win for individuals with pre existing conditions not in group insurance plans, and for the working lower income people because of the medicaid expansion provision.
The law has lots of flaws and really needs a public option added
Follow
Befriend (1)
241 comments
Regarding the Roberts move - its interesting because it has long been thought that the limits of the commerce clause were US v Lopez, and thus since this bill would expand beyond that, it would be struck down.
As it turns out, it is indeed unconstitutional under the commerce clause - same with the necessary and proper. However, the twist comes in that it was upheld under the constitutional powers of taxation.
I dont know if the administration tried to argue in the alternative that it was a constitutional tax, but in any event my understanding is thats what Roberts decided.
Follow
Befriend (1)
304 threads
5,307 comments
The Rubber hasn't hit the road yet.
People are as stupid as this board is short sighted.