(Community Matters) hard to describe how happy I am about SCOTUS decision. Healthcare reform meant more to me than anything else, even equality in marriage and repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell*. It impacts the lives of so many Americans. The availability of decent health care (not cadillaac) is the mark of an enlightened, civilized society. And, I believe it will increase the commercial competitiveness of American manufacturers and other businesses (which have been subsidizing uninsured health care) and unleash even more innovation (which is sometimes strangled by American’s dependence on existing job health care benefits)
HCR as currently exists is horribly flawed and we should now come together to pass fixes.
Health Care Reform: surprising: Kennedy is in the dissent (considers HCR in total unconstitutional). Chief Justice Roberts crossed over and gave the winning fifth vote. Did something really strange in the opinion, added his personal over and above the consensus. Justice Ginsburg wrote a “parallel” opinion for other 4 concurring
justicesthink the nuance Chief Justice Roberts achieved is tightening interpretation of Commerce Clause and that federal cannot take away existing Medicaid monies from states who don’t comply with HCR
from SCOTUSblog: Among other comments, Ginsburg bench statement says that “seven members of the Court…buy the argument that prospective withholding of anticipated funds exceeds Congress’ spending power.”
The remedy, Ginsburg says, is “to bar the withholding found impermissible, not to scrap the expansion altogether.” There are five votes for that.
* not that equality in marriage and repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell don’t, pragmaticaly mean even more to me personally nor that I’d agree to trade, but more Americans (and more LGBT Americans) are impacted by health care reform. AND, I’m ignoring the long term political implications for tightened def of commerce clause – not to mention draconian dissent
Community Matters 