Obamacare survives after Supreme Court rejects latest Republican challenge
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Published Thu, Jun 17 2021 10:03 AM
- The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against Texas and other Republican-led states seeking to strike down Obamacare in its latest test before the nation's highest court.
- The top court voted 7-2 to reverse an appeals court ruling that had struck down the law's individual mandate provision.
Demonstrators in support of U.S. President Barack Obama's health-care law, the Affordable Care Act (ACA), hold up 'ACA is Here to Stay' signs after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 6-3 to save Obamacare tax subsidies outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. June 25, 2015. Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled against Texas and other Republican-led states seeking to strike down Obamacare in the law's latest test before the nation's highest court.
The top court voted 7-2 to reverse an appeals court ruling that had struck down the law's individual mandate provision.
Justice Stephen Breyer, who authored the opinion of the court, said that Texas and the other states that challenged the law failed to show that they were harmed by it. In legal terms, the states failed to demonstrate that they had standing.
"Neither the individual nor the state plaintiffs have shown that the injury they will suffer or have suffered is 'fairly traceable' to the 'allegedly unlawful conduct' of which they complain," Breyer wrote.
The decision is a major victory for the legislation, which former President Barack Obama signed in 2010. The law has since become a crucial element of the nation's health-care system, responsible for the coverage of tens of millions of Americans.
The decision marks the third time that Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, has survived a challenge before the Supreme Court. Defenders of the law worried that the panel, which now has a 6-3 majority of Republican-appointed justices, would scrap the legislation, which has long been criticized by conservatives.
"Each time, in each arena, the Affordable Care Act has prevailed," Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said on the Senate floor minutes after the latest ruling came down.
"Let me say definitively: The Affordable Care Act has won, the Supreme Court has ruled, the ACA is here to stay. And now, we're going to try to make it bigger and better," Schumer said.
"What a day," he added.
Several of the court's conservatives, including Chief Justice John Roberts, joined Breyer's opinion on Thursday. The others voting with Breyer were Justices Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.
Democrats had warned during Barrett's confirmation hearings that she was likely to cast a vote in the case that would jeopardize Obamacare.
Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch, both conservatives, dissented from the court's majority opinion.
"Today's decision is the third installment in our epic Affordable Care Act trilogy, and it follows the same pattern as installments one and two," Alito wrote in a dissent that was joined by Gorsuch. "In all three episodes, with the Affordable Care Act facing a serious threat, the Court has pulled off an improbable rescue."
VIDEO1:0701:07 Affordable Care Act stands following Supreme Court ruling Squawk on the Street
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The gop needs to settle in and get used to losing...
Remind us after the midterms
The young and healthy can still refuse to sign up, since the penalty is essentially unenforceable
Say ye who just lost the Senate and Presidency?
All indications are America is on the right track.
Republicans have lost 2 elections in a row under Trump leadership. Since you are still viewing him as your party leader, what makes you think the next election will go differently?
History. You've lost that last primary, and midterms elections. History.
Remember last summer when Democrats went full on scaremongering claiming Barrett was out to destroy the ACA?
it played out just like I said it would.
Good decision by SCOTUS.
Here's a collection of some of the hysteria from, sad to say, leaders of this country.
Joe Biden
"This nominee has said she wants to get rid of the Affordable Care Act — this president wants to get rid of the Affordable Care Act. Let’s keep our eye on the ball. This is about less than one month [in which] Americans are going to lose their health insurance."
Kamala Harris:
"President Trump and his party and Judge Barrett will overturn the Affordable Care Act."
"F rom day one, President Trump made clear that he had a litmus test for Supreme Court Justices – destroy the Affordable Care Act’s protections for people with preexisting conditions and overturn our right to make our own health care decisions. . . . Republicans are desperate to get Judge Barrett confirmed before the Supreme Court takes up this case in November and millions of Americans will suffer for their power play."
Schumer:
"A vote for Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a vote to eliminate health care for millions in the middle of a pandemic. . . . The American people should make no mistake—a vote by any Senator for Judge Amy Coney Barrett is a vote to strike down the Affordable Care Act and eliminate protections for millions of Americans with pre-existing conditions."
Durbin:
"She is being sent on assignment to the Supreme Court by President Trump. And we know what that assignment is, eliminate the Affordable Care Act."
Wow so use the National Review rag as a smear against President Biden when we don't have the time of the patience to outline the thousands upon thousands upon thousands of lies and shit spewed by your shitstain of a hero trumpturd.
Here's a thought. Try and prove one of those quotes isn't accurate. Just one.
Doesn't matter. You're using deflection, projection, and denial, as usual.
You'd think, if they want to be taken seriously.
You've made the mistake in thinking I give a shit how you 'take me' . . . .
But, what about the court upholding Obamacare?
This is not a discussion about liberals or Democrats no matter how badly you and Tex try to make it so!