As they were expected to do today, the Supreme Court ruled on the Obama administration's Affordable Health Care Act. And it looks like they upheld most of it, five to four. The individual mandate still stands. Conservative Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. ruled with the majority.
News outlets are scrambling now to analyze the ruling and figure out the details of SCOTUS' ruling. It's complicated. But we have a few ideas of what this ruling will mean to Americans.
According to the SCOTUS ruling, the individual mandate says that you must have coverage (public or private) by 2014 or face a tax penalty. By 2016, when the law is fully in place, that tax penalty will be close to $695 per person. There is some speculation that young, healthy people will do the math and decide to just pay the tax penalty rather than pay for health insurance.
More from The Stir: Highlights of the Supreme Court Arguments on Obamacare
It appears that there are provisions for people who refuse to comply with the mandate if they can demonstrate they have religious or financial issues with it. I'm not positive about that, though -- analysts are still looking into it.
Insurance companies will be required to take anyone, regardless of health. They will not get to charge sick people more for their policy than healthy people.
States will be able to expand Medicaid to cover more people. This means more people will qualify for Medicaid IF their state chooses to participate in that expansion. However, SCOTUS struck down the federal government's right to withhold Medicaid funding from states that choose not to participate in the expansion. So if you're hoping to qualify for Medicaid under the new law, you'll have to wait and see what your state decides to do.
This ruling will make the health care law even more of a hot button issue with the election. Obama will claim this as a victory. Romney will use it as a reason for change in the White House.
How do you feel about the SCOTUS ruling? Do you think it will affect you and your family?
Image via Rob Crawley/Flickr
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Comments 70
Npahnlick - I understand your situation, I've been there. But its the middle class, people who are in situations like yours that will take the hits from obamacare the hardest. And as for why the premiums will go up - because you can't put all these restrictions on insurance companies to lower the cost of health insurance while not doing anything to lower the cost of medical care itself. They are actually doing the opposite. Hundreds of billions in medicare revenue will be lost, and the doctors and hospitals will have to make up for that somewhere. There are many hospitals already unsafely understaffed and hurting, and this may very well force them to close their doors. I also wouldn't say that Canada or Europe's system is fine. In many areas - if you need care, there's a really long wait.
Yes but premiums go up every year to begin with, with or without this plan they always go up. i am hoping that this forces insurances compines to stop rasies rates.
if you have the guts read this. Otherwise continue in your dream world
http://atr.org/full-list-obamacare-tax-hikes-a6996?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+AmericansForTaxReformRssFULL+%28Americans+for+Tax+Reform+FULL+CONTENT+RSS%29
I am sad reading all of these comments in support of Obamacare! My son and I got on private insurance in 2008 and it cost a little under 200 dollars and it was a great plan. We didn't have a yearly co-pay, just co-pay's for ER visits and doctor appointments. Obamacare was passed and everytime a new part of the plan was started our plan went down and the cost went up. Our monthly bill is now a little of seven hundred dollar's a month, and we now have a yearly co-pay of four thousand dollars. So little of our doctor's bills are covered now we can't even afford to go to the doctor. So know that I've said that can all of you liberal's understand why we belive so many people will pay the pentalty rather than get insurance. When you are broke and have to choose between seven hundred a month or a year its a no brainer. Also all of the hike's to your insurance are opproved by the goverment, I have found this our by reading ALL the letter's I've recieved from the insurance agencies.
cecilman Your website is a GOP political website, I had read the actually bill along with the judges ruling from yesterday. My mind as yours will not be changed, I feel it will help the middle class.
The insurance companies and big Pharma love Obamacare....that right there is enough to convince me that Obamacare will only hurt the American people and only help those who need no help (the 1%).
Oh and the UK's NHS isn't really all that great. I work for an international bank and my current boyfriend is from the UK. He has said that unless you can afford a separate/private insurance policy the care you recieve is terrible and you will wait a really long time for that care. He is grateful he's currently on a secondement here in the US and covered by the policy our bank provides. I will be pissed off to the max if this stupid piece of bloated legislation ruins the insurance my company provides. I don't trust at all that people will be able to keep their current insurance because I see those plans fading away into nothingness.
I watched my mother work 4 jobs at the same time to raise me and my 3 siblings. She couldn't afford healthcare, so when she got sick, there was nothing she could do to get better, just take some aspirin and go to the next job. She is the hardest working, kindest person I know. And yet she had to suffer. We need to take care of our own, and I don't mind doing it. Sure there's people who sit on their butts and do nothing. But there's also so, so many hardworking people who not only need, but deserve this. People need to have a heart.