Majority Support Obamacare Despite Trump's Supreme Court Bid to Kill ACA
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
The Trump administration's call for the Supreme Court to eradicate Obamacare flies against public opinion, with the majority of Americans still supporting it.
In a legal brief issued Thursday, Solicitor General Noel Francisco argues the individual mandate mandate is unconstitutional following the removal of penalties in 2017. The filing states this mandate is inseverable from other provisions in the Affordable Care Act, frequently referred to as Obamacare, concluding "the entire ACA thus must fall."
It comes just weeks after President Donald Trump branded Obamacare "a disaster," confirming a desire to repeal it.
"Obamacare, we run it really well... but running it great, it's still lousy healthcare," he said.
The move could see an estimated 20 million people lose healthcare coverage, while it would also eliminate protections for millions of others with pre-existing conditions.
Despite Trump's negative views of the ACA, polls indicate most Americans still support it.
A Fox News Poll, which interviewed 1,343 registered voters nationwide between June 13 and 16, found 56 percent had a favorable view of Obamacare. Of those 30 percent were strongly in favor and 26 percent somewhat. This was a record high for Fox News polling.
The Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) Health Tracking Poll has also consistently found support for Obamacare at over 50 percent in recent months. Its latest survey found 51 percent had a favorable view, in a poll conducted among 1,189 adults in the U.S. over the phone between May 13 and 18.
In February, KFF's polling saw a peak in support at 55 percent, at the time stating "a clear majority" viewed the law favorably. The survey was conducted over telephone between 1,207 adults in the U.S. between February 13 and 18th.
While polling would appear to indicate support for the ACA, the move to do away with has also swiftly been condemned by Democrats.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden, commenting on the lawsuit to eradicate Obamacare ahead of its filing, said: "It's cruel, it's heartless, it's callous."
Biden, who is leading in the polls ahead of the election in November, added in a speech in Lancaster, Pennsylvania: "If Donald Trump won't end his senseless crusade against health coverage, I look forward to ending it for him."
In a statement, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) also described the action as cruel.
She said: "President Trump and the Republicans' campaign to rip away the protections and benefits of the Affordable Care Act in the middle of the coronavirus crisis is an act of unfathomable cruelty.
"If President Trump gets his way, 130 million Americans with pre-existing conditions will lose the ACA's lifesaving protections and 23 million Americans will lose their health coverage entirely. There is no legal justification and no moral excuse for the Trump Administration's disastrous efforts to take away Americans' health care."
Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) said it would be a "catastrophe" if the lawsuit was successful.
She tweeted: "A lot has changed in our country over the past few months—yet even amid a pandemic, President Trump's dangerous commitment to attacking families' health care hasn't wavered. Make no mistake: a GOP victory in their partisan lawsuit would be a catastrophe."
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), reacting to the Supreme Court action, tweeted: "We need to be guaranteeing health care for all, not gutting it from millions."
House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard E. Neal (D-MA) said the administration should be "focused on helping the country through a global health crisis," while adding he felt they were instead "continuing their shameless sabotage of our health system."
"There is no logical reason to threaten critical protections for those with pre-existing conditions or to dismantle the law and drive up costs system-wide. Americans are relying on their health insurance now more than ever," he said in a statement.
Neal added that he felt the COVID-19 crisis should have given weight to enhancing Obamacare, not dismantling it.
"If this crisis has taught us anything, it is that our focus should be on enhancing the ACA and doing everything we can to make accessing health care easier," he said.
The White House and the lawmakers mentioned have been contacted for comment.
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Something isn't making sense here.....
Why, in the middle of a pandemic, when people are in need of medical healthcare, is this administration working to eliminate medical coverage?
The thought crossed my mind a couple of weeks ago...... Is Trump going to quit the election? Is he trying to lose on purpose?
If you were going to piss off everyone except your rabid base, this is surely the way to do it.
It is a stupid thing to do, but it will satisfy his base it seems.
He sure isn't working for the majority of Americans, that's for sure.
Any thoughts that he's intentionally trying to lose at this point? It is well know that Trump is more scared of losing or looking bad than anything else.
I guess last night on Hannity he said something along the lines of: (Biden) “is going to be president because some people don’t love me.” What the hell is that????
'I guess last night on Hannity he said something along the lines of: (Biden) “is going to be president because some people don’t love me.” What the hell is that????'
I posted a seed on that. Check it out. One troll already commented.
My answer to that question would be, Bigly Covfefe which makes as much sense as his verbal diarrhea.
I don't think so. Being a bully is all he knows. It's what got him here and no matter what his handlers try to do every time he gets in front of mic this is his MO.
So.... knowing that he can't draw from independents, he is trying to maximize the turn out of his base to win? There's not enough of em. (thank god)
He won the electoral college by a total of 78,000 votes divided by three states in 2016. Mi, Pa, and Wi. with all the independent support he received. He's not going to get them again by killing the ACA in the middle of a pandemic.
His staff knows that, but does Trump really know that? The reports (if you can believe them) show his staff and Republicans looking down ticket in panic mode for the last 2 weeks.
I don't think the question is Trump now. I think it's how long will it take for some of the down ticket Republicans to break ranks? Sure as shit it will happen if the numbers don't significantly improve soon.
I think we are already seeing the cracks in the dam EG..... The Lincoln Project ads have been brutal... Carly Fiorina came out yesterday saying she's voting for Biden.
I think you are clearly correct though. Lets watch what happens in the senate. When the first one breaks, there will be a stampede. It's just going to take one.
I'm wondering if Ernst might not be the first one (Collins and Murkowski already have and were expected to).
Collins is road kill in this cycle and within her party she is considered an unreliable "Never Trumper"
Think Moscow Mitch won't break ranks under fire? He's powerful enough to provide cover for the others....
McConnell will do what he thinks it will take to hold the Senate. IF numbers hold or worsen, I'd give 'em 2 months before the cracks show on the evening news.
A classic case of extreme narcissism.
bwah ha ha, trump's going to drag the entire GOP over the cliff with him on his way out the door. gee, what a bummer...
It makes no difference to me how many want to destroy the constitution. If the court finds it unconstitutional it has to go. Politicians can't override the constitution that's why we have the checks and balances system.
Didn't Roberts already rule it Constitutional once? What makes you think he will change his mind this time?
Libertarians wish those without insurance would just shut the fuck up and die already.
The courts have already ruled the individual mandate unconstitutional and it now opens to door for a ruling to scrap the entire Obamacare as unconstitutional. The court has not rejected the challenge and is expected to hear the case this fall.
No, the SCOUTUS has ruled the individual mandate was Constitutional. The Republicans killed the penalty in Congress. The argument now is that is the whole PPACA Unconstitutional now that the mandate is moot? Roberts ruling with the liberals again would be in line with his mandate majority ruling.
They did, but US Appeals Court Stuck it down last year as there was a major change the Republicans did to the mandate in 2017 that made it completely worthless; thus everything attached to the mandate worthless.
The Supreme Court did rule that the fee/penalty for not having health insurance was Constitutional- it was considered a tax. Something the Democrats fought tooth and nail against- as it wrecked Obama's claim the PPACA wouldn't increase anyone's taxes. Now that argument has been made worthless.
That was back in 2012. The Republicans were a touch smarter than the Democrats and found a way to make that ruling work against the PPACA.
The Supreme Court will take up the new case it has already stated.
The mandate is completely interwoven into the PPACA. Can't have a law without the mandate; and the mandate was made worthless in 2017.
Regardless of what you or I think of the PPACA and the mandate, it's what Justice Roberts thinks that will make the difference. My question was what makes you thinks Roberts will rule against the PPACA this time?
'and want others to subsidize your health care be it a insurance company or the rich.'
Excuse me?
I pay for my health care.
You do not pay for my health care.
So my insurance company isn't supposed to pay for part of my insurance???????????????????????????????
That's what's known as a benefit from my employer.
Last I checked, the 'rich' aren't paying my insurance either.
What I think?
There is no individual mandate. When Republicans set the rate for it to 0 it ended it, period. Without the mandate there is no PPACA! You can't pull the mandate out w/o the law completely become unworkable.
Roberts has a brain. He tried to be the nice guy and use the most lenient definition he could, that the mandate was a tax. (not that the leftist idiots thanked him for it.) There is no tax now. Roberts, nor any judge, has the power to reinstate a tax- that is purely Congress' job.
Roberts could have said the Court had already ruled in 2012 and would not revisit the decision; that would have ended it once and for all. He didn't do that did he?
So where is the replacement program from this administration that was touted to be better and less expensive? It's been 3-1/2 years now, and nothing out of the WH as far as a replacement for the now popular ACA.
7-29-15: Donald Trump on Wednesday offered a glimpse into his presidential platform on healthcare, saying he would replace ObamaCare with “something terrific.”
3 years in, no sign of Trump’s replacement for Obamacare
we have not forgotten mcstain