Well, the Verdict Is In....

I am SOOOOOOOOO not happy!!! This will make it to where my company will stop having the great coverage we have because we will be taxed way too high since it's a premium plan. And a lot of Drs will stop practicing as they wont make enough money.

Having a daughter with a very serious condition (heart transplant and history of cancer) - you would think I would be happy, but I'm not. I do NOT want the government involved in health care. Anything they get involved in becomes a HUGE ball of a mess, requiring more and more government employees to oversee and institute the various conflicting rules and regulations. I don't want the government making any decisions about my personal healthcare.

What I find hugely confusing is that BOTH sides make claims that conflict.

Democrat: "YAY! Now this opens health care up to 5 million more people that were previously unable to have healthcare"

Republican:"This unfortunately cuts healthcare to 5 million people that need it now"

Those are the type of statements that make me say probably 97% of what is going around is complete and utter BS and we, the people, will have to sit back and just watch what happens now.

Not happy at all. I really expected the mandate to be ruled unconstitutional. The cost of healthcare will increase drastically. Those who believe it won't are living in fantasy land. It already has. I do not want nor need government in my medical care anymore than they already are. Do we need reform? YES, absolutely. But this law doesn't really do that. Where is the tort reform? Where is the competition? Why can't I buy in another state? If we want TRUE reform all of those need to be incorporated.

Single payer? Hell to the NO way!!! Sad day.

Personally I'm thrilled! Shocked, but so very, very happy.

People with pre-existing conditions will be able to be insured.

Small businesses that offer health insurance will get tax credits.

Medicare will be extended for the people that need it the most. Those on the poverty line.

This plan prohibits insurers from charging women substantially more than men and requires insurers to offer preventive services — including contraception — at no additional cost.

and most important and relevant to *my* life is that my young adult children will be able to stay on my health insurance for a few more years. I believe that they should be able to stay on it as long as I'm willing to pay for it, but the extension until age 26 is a very, very good start.

:)

Could you clarify why you don't support it? No where in any of the explanation of this program, did anyone say anything is going to be free. We already are paying for it. This is just a different avenue.

Of what is listed below, what do you disagree with:
1)people with preexisting conditions will be covered
2)women will not pay more for their healthcare
3)well visits and preventative care will be at no cost (already done by most insurance companies)
4)seniors will get a discount on their Rx
5)adult children can stay on the parents insurance, if need be, until the age of 26
6)everyone will need to be covered one way or another (instead of people using the ER as their family doctor - talk about what is causing the insurance rates to go up!)

Other than #6, which is really just misunderstood, I cannot imagine anyone who would say these changes are bad in any way form or fashion.

Romney has this same program in his state and from what some MP members have stated, it is successful.

Cheryl, I ask for this information out of total respect. I enjoy your posts and responses, I don't always agree but I respect your point of view. I just keep hearing people say they don't like it but they don't really say why other than it is unconstitutional.

**After reading many of these posts - I guess I don't have to imagine people that don't want the positives that comes from this- sad day for humanity :(

I would like to say that people nowadays are happy that years ago, mindsets like those who believed in the Ku Klux Klan, Jim Crow laws, and White Supremacy who are either dearly departed, or in their old age, have changed their beliefs (many have and are repentent of their younger days and treating their fellow human beings like less than human.) However, I still see remarks that lament President Johnson championing the Civil Rights Act, and I know that though we have come a long way as a nation, we still have a long way to go.

I think the same thing will apply to The Affordable Care Act if we are able to continue with it and tweak it in the future to help us as a nation, both in affordability, spreading the cost and the risk out among many, limiting the profit the insurance companies can make, and making it a more level playing field. For many years, people who don't like it will deride it, put it only in political terms, ignore the reality that the lack of a health care initiative is crippling our system, and generally put their heads in the sand. Given time, as improvements are made by those who are genuinely trying to make things better, without political posturing, some, not all, will see a benefit both to the overall budget and the quality of life that if offers Americans overall.

How long will that take? I don't know. But 20 or 30 years from now, a lot of people will look back onto healthcare as it WAS and wonder why on earth people acted like they did. A little like watching those old films of Martin Luther King and the non-violent protests. Watching police with batons, water hoses, hooded men with burning crosses... Surrealistic images of a time when many just didn't seem to "get" that equality is better for us ALL.

And equality under the law is not merely required under the constitution, it's also better for us all. GETTING there is the hard part, and working together for the betterment of society as a whole SHOULD be everyone's goal. Sometimes the courts have to push it in order to get people to HAVE to try it, so that they can ultimately see that it is workable.

Those who hated seeing minorities have equal rights thought that society would fall apart if separate but equal was dismantled. They were wrong. As the new healthcare initiative takes form and adjustments are made in the coming years (if it is able to withstand the attacks made on it by political opponents), I believe that we will see the same - not only does society NOT fall apart because of Affordable Healthcare, but it will ultimately be enhanced by it.

I'm so very happy about the decision. Yes - it will cost money to implement, but there are so many benefits.

People with pre-existing conditions will be able to be insured. Huge for so many people.

Small businesses that offer health insurance will get tax credits. This is awesome because the businesses that are doing the right thing will finally get some credit.

Medicare will be extended to people on the poverty line.

Insurance companies will no longer be able to charge a lot more for women than men.

And young adults can stay on their parents plans, allowing them time to complete college or find a career before worrying about buying their own health insurance.

To me, it's 90% good. I can deal with the 10% because of the other 90.

For the record, I believe that healthcare reform is much needed. That said, I am not in support of the ACA - it's just not as simple as the name would have you believe.

For those who are happy, please consider the fact that YOU may soon be one of those who cannot afford the quality of healthcare to which you are accustomed. Be fully prepared for your employers to dump you right off of the benefit scale because they simply cannot afford it - it will be cheaper for them to pay the fine than provide you w/benefits. Should you opt for the government plan, you will receive a lesser quality care, complete with rationing and little to no control over your doctor/patient relationship.

Wise people learn from the mistakes of others. Look around the world. Great Britain, Canada, France, New Zealand...all going bankrupt due to their socialized healthcare. Patients are on long waiting lists even for standard procedures. NZ is returning to a privatized system after their socialized one has failed miserably.

But no, we're AMERICANS! It'll work for us bc we're just arrogant enough to will it. It'll work for us bc the all-benevolent Democrats (who voted for this plan and yet won't be on it - and neither will their family members) have taken care of us! Nevermind that the CBO has said their is no way to fund this. Nevermind that this ruling sets a potentially horrifying precedent - get ready for "taxes" to be levied on everything else the government decides. Carbon use, homeschooling, # of children....the possibilities are endless.

Our freedom has been seriously infringed due to semantics. Nevermind that the president himself said this wasn't a tax. His council before the SCOTUS insisted it wasn't a tax. SCOTUS says it's a tax, so there you go.

I'm sorry to rant, but honestly, I'm terrified. There is so much buried in this bill that people are CLUELESS about. It WILL effect you and your family and when it does, BO will be out of office and you'll be blaming the next guy - because after all, Obama is too hip and cool to be wrong.

It's a good thing "kids" will be covered until 26 (?!) because it is estimated that this bill will cost 20,000 jobs - good luck to them finding one.

BTW: Did you know that this bill is responsible for driving up student loan costs? Did you know that an APPOINTED board of people will be making your healthcare decisions and are fully protected should their decision not work for you (or God forbid, harm you)? Did you know that your underage daughters will have access to the abortion pill without your knowledge or consent? Do you know that your financial status (via "credit check" through your bank cards) will be verified before it is determined what type of care you will receive? So much for this bill being an "equalizer" - there will still be tiers of care based upon your income / status. You can count on rationing bc Sibelius came right out and said it.

The idea of "free healthcare for all" being a reality is false. The idea that we can have a society that is free of social status, scale, or preferential treatment based on these factors is a delusion. Such a society goes against the essence of human ambitions and has NEVER existed anywhere. Why don't we learn from history? I admire the optimism, but people need to think.

It's worth noting Robert's comments that the ruling does not deem this legislation good policy. Jo is right - they're handing it back to the Congress:

Robert's opinion - "Members of this Court are vested with the authority to interpret the law; we possess neither the expertise nor the prerogative to make policy judgments. Those decisions are entrusted to our Nation’s elected leaders, who can be thrown out of office if the people disagree with them. It is not our job to protect the people from the consequences of their political choices."

Truth.

So now the onus is on two vehicles:

1. Congress to repeal, but that will not be possible until R have the House and Senate. If that happens, I fully expect HEALTHCARE REFORM as they have promised. It IS much needed.

2. The private healthcare companies can bring it. The basis of capitalism is competition. If they don't want to be driven out of business, they better implement the changes that the American people need (pre-existing conditions, etc) or they'll not survive.

You think Kagan bribed Roberts? Unbelievable!

I am thrilled with the decision. If you ask most people who oppose affordable care about individual provisions, they agree with those. Then you put them all in a package and they say they hate it! The vast majority do not have any idea what's in this plan, and are reacting to scare tactics.

If you are worried about bribery and too much money influencing decisions, then get upset with what SCOTUS did with Citizens United! If elections can be bought, then it's no longer "One person, One vote" - it's "One dollar, One vote"!!

The health care/insurance system is broken broken broken. The Republicans didn't fix it when they had the White House and the Congress. So they aren't going to fix it - they just hate that someone else is trying to do it!

This is a great decision.

I am APPALLED and so sad that this passed. I am a Registered Nurse, and know EXACTLY how this will affect those of us there and in our personal lives.
The long-term effect of this is going to be that the government is going to make it so expensive for companies to continue to provide health coverage to their employees, and there will be "perks" to companies to allow the government to be the "provider" of healthcare, that in 10 years, we will all be on the government plan.
HIPAA will no longer matter, government will get to say how and when and where you get care, and your records will be scrutinized for anything you "might" have done to yourself to cause your current state of health. Have high blood pressure? Well the gov't will say its b/c you are obese, so that's your fault and you get no treatment. Lung cancer? Well, it seems your records indicate that you smoked for 6 months when you were 18, so you might have brought it on yourself. There are more deserving folks for that chemo than you. Find a lump in your breast? Well, unless you are over 40, govt says you don't get a mammogram, so too bad. And if you think this can't happen, read all 900 pages. They are carving the way for a Socialistic healthcare system where some govt official will decide the level of care you receive after "reviewing" your now fully-accessible health care records. Ever wonder why Obama gave thousands of hospitals $10 million grants if they were willing to upgrade to a nationally accessible Electronic Medical Record (EMR)? It's true, my employer did it, and sent all of us the liturature that came from the grant that passed. We are implementing it hospital-wide right now.
This is bad. This is very bad. It's actually worse than bad. I believe it is verging on sinister. Imagine the ability of the govt to sequester patient populations that carry certain diseases, even if those people don't exhibit symptoms. Imagine the ability to mass vaccinate with something less than safe when the govt can quickly find out who hasn't received the vaccine yet. When we begin to give our power back to the government and a choice few "elite", we are losing everything this country was founded on. This Obamacare was sold on the premonition that we were "helping" the poor and unfortunate. That is NOT what this care is about. Mark my words. This is bad.

I cried out of happiness! My daughter kept asking me, "what's wrong mommy?" All I could say was that a law was passed that will be helping a lot of people.

This whole free thing. What is that about? As I see it, this new law should bring down my premium payments by (1) making those with the money pay for their medical care, and (2) forcing insurance companies to do preventative care. People will stop using the expensive ER for non-emergencies and we should all benefit.

I think it is fantastic that the Affordable Care Act will stand. It is so much more fair to those of us who have always paid for health insurance - for myself and my employees. I have been subsidizing the uninsured for years. Now they will have to either pay their own way, or at least pay something ($695 or 2.5% of their income) for the health care that they will almost invariably require.

No one ever asked me if I want to pay for everyone else's care. I was 'forced' to do so because we as a society do not deny care to people who do not have the money to afford emergency care. I think the individual mandate is much more fair.

I own a small business. I have ALWAYS insured my employees - because it is the right thing to do. (It doesn't hurt when hiring to have the better benefit package). I will continue to insure my employees. I see no reason why the ACA would change that.

Why are so many people saying, "Nothing is free?" Is there some group out there trying to convince you that this is free?

You sound just like my husband. He keeps talking about how people thought Obama would be the savior and look, he's only human. Um, ya think? Who are these people who thought he was going to be the savior? If they were really naive enough to vote for him thinking that he would save the country from everything, well, who cares, at least they did vote for him?

I am so happy the court ruled the way it did, and here's why:

1. Everyone should have affordable health care. It really should be a basic human right. I'm actually in favor of socialized healthcare, but too many people in this country are just not ready for that, so I'm happy that we are at least taking this first step.

2. Requiring people to pay for insurance is not meant as a way to punish the poor (and don't many of them get free health care?), it's a way to make sure everyone is covered. The idea is to have a sliding scale and/or a public option. The idea is to make sure every has coverage. Otherwise people simply don't pay so the cost for those who do pay goes up and the people who can't pay go bankrupt and there are just so many more problems than the taxpayers paying for it now (as many others mentioned).

3. If you call 911 the police will respond for free, the fire department will respond for free and an ambulance will arrive. You'll get that insane bill later, along with one from the hospital, the doctor at the er, the anesthesiologist, the gp who sees you later, the pharmacy, etc. Yes, I realize police and fire protection are paid by property taxes. Why can't healthcare also be covered by taxes?

I am thrilled! Totally Happy! Ecstatic!

I am currently individually-insured because I don't work Full-time. I pay a large percentage of my income, and still can only afford a high deductible ($6000) policy.

I work in outplacement, counseling people who have been laid-off from their corporate jobs. I have met with countless people who are terrified about how they will get medical care now that they are unemployed. I have talked with many people who would work PT, or contract/consult, or start their own business, except for their need for employer sponsored healthcare, or fear of what would happen if they were to become sick or injured under self-insurance.

I think this will be fantastic for our country and just the start of fixing our healthcare system.

And, who ever said anyone expected this to be "free"? We are all paying for healthcare now, and will continue to do so. I am happy to know that eventually, I will not be paying for people who irresponsibly decide not to fund their own health insurance when they can afford (at least as well as I can afford) to do so.

I am thrilled, relieved, and honestly pretty surprised.

I could go on and on, politically, about how the government belongs to us, and how it can be a force for good or evil depending on what we, collectively, want it to be.

But there are other people here who can express that far more succinctly and compellingly than I. I'll just say that my husband has a rather severe pre-existing condition. He is alive today and in good health because of my employer-funded health care, but were I ever to be out of work, even very short term, it'd be a crisis and a disaster for my family. The Affordable Care Act just may save our lives. I'm incredibly grateful for it.

Of course, I am happy. Woot-woot!!!

I know too many people for whom "health care" is an unattainable ideal.
Hopefully that will soon change. I hope member of Congress have to use similar care plans for themselves.

I feel that Americans who have been lucky enough to have reliable (if extremely high) healthcare in this country cannot relate to this issue much at all. And Lord knows, left to the bazillion dollar health care industry, NOTHING would change for most folks, only continue down the path of less care, higher cost. That trend has clearly been shown.

It has been shown time and time again that the US pays far too much for far too little care. Zero emphasis on preventative care (although that seems the only area that the health care providers have done any "change" for the good recently) has cause super high end stage care.

And I pray this is only the beginning of the changes to come.
The tail has wagged the dog for FAR too long, IMO.

Thank GOD we have a president willing to make some CHANGE so that many can have some HOPE.

If the Supreme Court didn't have the conservative slant that it does, it wouldn't have been such a close decision.

As I saw recently on Facebook: Beware, everyone you know will now become a constitutional scholar! And I suspect that is true!

Have a great day, Cheryl!

ETA: As for the shortage of doctors issue--Am I crazy to think that maybe, just maybe, people will be drawn to the field of medicine for the purpose of helping others--not just making big bucks---and being paid fairly well. Isn't that what we all want?

My husband has worked anywhere from 40-60 hours a week for the past 10 years. His job has never and will never provide the option of healthcare. We wait until we are so sick that we can't take it anymore and then go to the ER. Then we pay for YEARS for the treatment that we got. I would love love love love to be able to have an option, any option, to get myself and my husband on some kind of health care. My kids have it through the state but we do not qualify. I wish we did.
If this new healthcare is going to give us the option of getting healthcare than I am thrilled. We need it.
L.
Edited - I am a bit pissed off that I am considered "stupid" which would be the opposite of "smart" right Momof4? I will also let my "dumb" voice be heard when I vote this November.

As a W., as a young(ish) adult and as a public health advocate - I am ecstatic! Here are some links:

Health care ruling (interactive document of the actual text): http://www.npr.org/2012/06/28/155907705/interactive-insid...

More information about the law: http://www.whitehouse.gov/healthreform/healthcare-overvie...

Overview of how it affects women: http://www.plannedparenthood.org/about-us/newsroom/press-...

We've already been paying for it. This way is more on the front end, instead of it all being swept under the rug and pushed out the door until we couldn't avoid it any longer...and then paying out of our asses. I am thrilled to pieces. Yea for our healthcare system!

I'm shocked and very disappointed. This opens a big can of worms. Almost as if anything can be declared "constitutional" when it certainly is NOT. A MANDATE for GOVERNMENT HEALTHCARE??? Uggh. I literally feel sick from it. those that support this must have no clue what it means to the future of our country. i could go into details about it all, but seriously, the wound is too fresh- I gotta cool off a bit first. An entire country's future is at stake here. GEESH. How can ONE person and his enablers cause this country to become SO MUCH LESS than it was not that long ago:( :( :( :( :( This is a huge wake up call to those that oppose this but don't do enough about it.

AND- let me tell you all. I HAVE NO HEALTH CARE. I have asthma, allergies (as does my husband), osteopenia, chronic bronchitis and chronic back pain. I pay out of pocket for my care for now. My husband is self-employed and I'm a SAHM. We are also living paycheck to paycheck, but I would NEVER ask or expect or want my country to sacrifice what it stands for for me to get healthcare. IT ISN'T THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. We are working on increasing our income so we can afford it ourselves, so we have FREE CHOICE. But DAMN- I guess this country doesn't want to encourage ANYONE to better themselves!!! WHY WORK HARD WHEN WE CAN GIVE IT TO YOU ALL?!?!?!? Everything is screwed up:( :( :(

Congenital issues are no longer considered "pre-existing conditions." I have two friends with cystic fibrosis who were previously uninsurable, and they are both pretty excited about that, and I have to say, I side with them.

Preventative care can no longer require co-pays, and even the health insurance companies have admitted that this is a good idea, and several of them pledged to continue it, whether "Obamacare" was overturned or not. It's nice that folks can get the preventative care they need, even if they don't have their deductible or co-pay in their pocket. It's sad that legislation was required to get this started.

But, the way I figure it, of course someone somewhere is paying for it. The problem is, without proper health care, we would be paying for it in greater amounts down the line, with higher health care concerns and bills in old age, with increased Medicare and Medicaid costs. And say what you will, those aren't going away any time soon. So we're just paying for it now, instead of later. Which makes more sense, really. A healthcare overhaul was necessary eventually. I don't think it was done correctly, and I don't think the system is perfect. I think it was too much, too fast, and too all-encompassing. But it's impossible to argue that it's all bad.

I'm not too familiar with how health care works in the US, but I suspect Obamacare is like the universal medicare we have in Canada. In Canada we all have health care (doctor visits and hospital care) provided by the government paid for by our taxes. Everyone receives the same standard of care, and no one has to go without treatment. I can't bear to think that there are people in other countries who have to go without medical care because they can not pay for it. I just read a comment that said Canada is going bankrupt because of socialized health care. Not true. We aren't even in a recession.

I don't have enough information about the actual health care plan to have made an informed decision. I don't trust what I read on facebook and from biased sources in the media. I'm trying to find the resources I need to fully understand the program and how it will effect my family and others.

Having said that, I was very, very proud of the Supreme Court and especially of Justice Roberts for making a decision based on how they read and interpret the US Constitution. Their job is not to make decisions based on one party or another, but to decide according to their education and knowledge of the Constitution. Justice Roberts had to know that his opinion was not going to be popular among the more conservative people who have supported him in the past. He showed a high amount of character in deciding according to his education and understanding. I am impressed.

FWIW, I have no respect for anyone who uses the term "Obamacare". I will not vote for anyone who uses that term. It's not the name of the bill/law and is meant to be slanderous or inflammatory. I am a very patriotic American. This president might not have been the candidate of my choice, but I support whomever is the President, even if I disagree with him. This doesn't mean that I agree with everything he (or any other President) says, but I refuse to accept comments of disrespect toward the President of the United States. When I hear a candidate for any political office show disrespect I know that they are not a candidate I can respect. I'm speaking of no particular individual or candidate, just a general statement.

I went to the link Jessica posted and found out that:
"You will have the option of buying a health plan through your state's exchange with federal assistance. Based on your income, your annual premiums for that plan would be no more than $1,020 to $1,360. Your maximum out-of-pocket costs for deductibles and co-payments would be capped at 6 percent of the total cost."
That's based on our family size and income. Why wouldn't I be happy? I don't want free health care, I just want it to be affordable on our income! My husband's employers have NEVER offered health insurance. I am self employed. We don't "cry poor" and expect things to be handed to us. Combined, on average, we work 65+ hours a week and provide very well for our family, but healthcare has always alluded us and our kids are on medicaid. People who don't want universal health care? Selfish people, and I have no sympathy for their position on this. It's like saying that your job is more important than mine because you get paid more. Really? Tell that to the next person that makes your dinner and serves it to you in a restaurant, and then see how your food tastes, if you even get it at all.

Every single SC justice has had a "personal relationship" with one or more presidents. Asking for one to be recused for something like this is petty politics.

No matter what you think of it, healthcare reform in this nation is desperately needed. When our vets can't afford their meds, when our elderly are choosing between heart medication and paying their electric bill, and when there are children going without immunizations because their parents can't afford insurance, something must be done.
Whether or not this is the right step, I don't know, but I know that somebody has to do SOMETHING.

There has been nothing free market about health care costs/prices since the 1970's.
All the 'managed' HMOs PPOs and everything else that has been thrown at it to help control costs has propped up an increasingly impossible pricing structure.
There is absolutely no rational reason a heart valve transplant should cost $20,000 in India (including airfare and accommodations) and $100,000 in the USA - and often the doctors performing the operation here were trained in India anyway.
Medical tourism flourishes because we refuse to regulate health care prices like the whole rest of the planet does.
This is like paying a $1000 for a Slurpee and then fighting for the right to keep on paying a ridiculous price and worrying where the money for it all will come from.
But no one SHOULD be paying $1000 for a Slurpee.
When we regulate the prices to be one fifth of what they cost now - we will be getting something that's affordable for all of us - and for less than what we are currently paying.
This health care mandate is a step in the right direction but it does not go far enough.
As far as doctor shortages go - we'll import them - we already have been for years.

I am utterly thrilled. Yay, Justice Roberts!

Happy, wish it were single-payer, but if the kinks are worked out on this law and it is further improved, it will be a win-win for Americans. I'm insured, luckily always have been, and have been paying for the uninsured already.

Added: What I find hilarious in this debate is that what this truly is is forcing people to take PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY for their own healthcare and not push off the costs onto others. This plan enables every American to do so. Why shouldn't everyone pay for themselves? Isn't that a CONSERVATIVE PRINCIPAL?? One that I hear conservatives espousing constantly. So now we all get to see conservatives put their money where their ideologies are and we make it easier for everyone to do so by reigning in costs.

I won't comment on all the details (because honestly I am not well read in the issue) but I DO know that we are already "paying for it." The system we have now, with all of the uninsured showing up in ERs, taxpayers paying for the hospitalization and treatment of people with PREVENTABLE diseases and disorders is as broken and inefficient of a system as you can get. I am cautiously hopeful that this is at least a step in the right direction.

Edited: The ONE positive thing that will come from this (I truly pray!) is people will show up at the polls in droves this November to stop Obama's fundamental transformation of America. Then we will repeal the law. :). God help us if that man gets a second term.

Happy side note...

Did you hear that a judge ruled that Florida can continue purging the rolls of people who aren't eligible to vote? Sadly for Obama, illegals may not get to vote in Florida after all. ;)

Sad, becuse folks believe that it will help... Specifically "the tax" for those who do no thave health care...

Here is how I see that working out:

Person X Can't afford / or does not want to waste the $$ on insurance.
Person X Uses the exemptions available to avoid paying the tax (1% if I recall) required of those who do not have insurance.
Person X goes to the hospital and we still pay...

So what good does this do?

Conversely my family is insured through our jobs with a large corporation, after this was passed, the plan cost more $ and although we now have "free" immunizations, and well visits (no co-pay) we can't get sick. If we are sick it comes out of pocket until we meet the deductable and then it only pays 80%.

So we all call it the don't get sick plan. I should also add that it the don't get pregnant plan because I get to pay for that to until we rach the deductable, and then they pay SOME.

With our old plan prior to Obamacare changes, I paid a co-pay for my initial preggo visit and that was it... Doctor visits, hospital and C-Section were all covered by my insurance....

How will effect out country - not sure, but probably not in a good way. It will make "good" insurance prohibitively expensive, and most people will not be able to afford to go to the doctor anyway, because the insurance they do have only covers preventative care....

Sad? How about depressed. Right after I heard it, I told my DH, I'm not even 50 years old yet and I don't even recognize the country I was born in things have changed so much. Then as the ramifications began to sink in I became frightened. I was ready to sell my house and business and pack up the family and go hide in the mountains of North Carolina and try to live off our land. But I realized that even there I wouldn't be free. If the Congress can make me buy health insurance and punish me if I don't...then what else can it make me do? Reagan was right when he said that the US was the last stand on earth for freedom and if we lost it here we lost it completely.
Freedom and liberty have been lost and there is no place to run to be free.
It just sapped my will to live right out of me.

It is really a terrible thing. I can only hope that this will help get Romney elected and he will in turn, do what he can to throw it out. That is really our only hope.

My brother is a doctor (pediatric) that is currently serving in the Air Force in England. He has said that the Achilles Heel of Obamacare is that we will soon be facing a huge shortage of Family Practice doctors (we already are). No one is going to spend 10 years to become a doctor, racking up severe debt, just to pander to the masses and make less money. People will specialize, because that is where the money is, and we will be forced to input our F.P. doctors from third-world countries, like England is currently having to do.
You're right. Somewhere, someone is paying for it. I think we have failed to learn our lessons from the past and other countries with socialized medicine, and will soon be facing some real problems.

Disappointed, but not entirely surprised. I think it'll have a huge negative impact on our economy, on employment and on healthcare. The system needs improvement, but Obamacare is not the answer.

I feel afraid. More than 30% of companies polled said that they would most likely pay the $2000 fine and put their employees in the government exchange rather than pay the $12,000 or so to insure them. Consequently we are going to have many more people than were expected in this exchange thus costing us much much more money.

And let me tell you how these exchanges are going to be run: every test and treatment will have to be approved by a panel. No more family doctor ordering what is best for the patient-it will now have to meet the governments approval. You guys are all pretty young and are probably not experienced with what it is to be sick and need specialized treatment to LIVE. Treatment that your doctor believes will help you but does not fall in the guidelines of the exchange. I see this happen all the time on my breast cancer forums with women from Candada and UK. They do not get to choose their doctor but go to a "breast center" where it could take weeks for an appointment and then they are denied certain treatments or more testing. I strongly believe that certain things that have happened HERE in the BC world happened in anticipation of Obamacare-such as the decision by the FDA to not let women use avastin anymore to treat their late stage cancer. This off-label treatment was working and it was taken away from so many women who are fighting for their lives. Additionally the call for mammos every 2 years or 10 years which I have heard suggested. This is another effort to cut future healthcare costs with National HC.

I would also like to add that this is for sure a penalty on the poor. They are now going to be FORCED to pony up for healthcare whether they want to or not. This means no more emergency room visits where you aren't turned away for lack of insurance. Now you will be put on the phone to pay for your insurance before treatment. (Not that I think this ER method is a good thing but just pointing it out. )

Lastly-I am extremely shocked at the Supreme Court for not upholding the constitution in the way that they are sworn to do. They are NOT supposed to "do the right thing" but to follow the law of our land regardless of their personal beliefs.

And everyone who is happy with their insurance coverage better watch out. You know its bad when the unions and the congress are opted out of it.

Hi Cheryl, honestly I think I need my own personal tutor. The more I read about the details of the plan the more questions I have.

Sorry to be so individualistic, but this could be either really really good for me, or really really bad for me, I still have no idea.

I have had no health insurance for 5 years. I have been to the doctor once in that time and paid cash.

I don't qualify for the NYS program because I have to report my SOs income because we live together, however it is NOT really my income.

Anyway, I think it would be really cool to have the op to buy health insurance for myself at a manageable rate. However, if that 'rate' turns out to be hundreds of dollars a month, well then, I guess I'll have to be a criminal.

So at least NOW I have the CHOICE not to pay HUGE premiums for insurance, I have the choice to NOT have insurance.

The verdict is still out for me.

Change is hard for Americans. This plan will need to be tweeked in coming years, but I AM glad someone stuck their dick out and TRIED TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

No idea how it will turn out. Especially for me personally.

I wish now that it's done, we could all work together to make the best of it.

We are such a diverse nation, there is no ONE THING that will work for all, you know?

:)

What happen to our Freedom of choices in this country? It is our choice to have health insurance or not. So many families/individuals cannot afford this so called insurance, they have no jobs, do not qualify for government programs. Our unemployment rate here in Detroit is 11%!!!!

The first thing that comes to me is that this will be taxed out of our paychecks (like Fica, state/federal taxes, etc.) so we will have no choice but to pay.

We will all be on tier sections plans, so this is a sneaky way the government can have the authority to know your medical history. They will be peeking up our skirts too...

The government has enough money to form another department to go through this mess, (all I can think of is the Medicare mess)

Insurance companies will put a tighter cap on certain procedures and medications that might help ill people.

The government will increase our taxes.

More people will die because hospitals will try to enforce “no insurance, no service.”

Our medical insurance rates will increase because of this mandate, medical costs will rise.

People who will now qualify for Medicaid, we the tax payers will be paying for.

Those who do qualify for medicaid have a five year cap, what happens to them after 5 years????

So the government wants to charge us a yearly % increase in taxes if we do not have medical insurance...Employers will drop employees benefits as they will find it cheaper to receive a tax penalty for not providing insurance to employees.

People will have to decide (even more) do they eat, or pay for health care.

More small businesses will close.

The folks who come over here illegally will still get free everything, and we have to pay for everything. (notice how obatman said that all AMERICANS will have to have medical insurance.)

I'm ok with it. I admire Justice Roberts for doing his job, interpreting the Constitution, rather than trying to legislate from the bench. It was pretty clear in some of his opinion that he's not a big fan of this law but did not let that affect his ruling.

I love how some people complain about this being government intrusion into personal and private choices but then turn around and support or try to pass laws that interfere with a doctor and a patient being able to make medical decisions that are best for their family and situation. As far as the government deciding about what procedures or medicines you can or can not have insurance companies already do that. There's always a long list of things not covered and they are always changing the lists of meds that are covered, which need pre certification or remove some from coverage all together. The insurance companies often deny claims or make you jump through hoops to get things paid for.

I'm sure there will be bare minimum plans available and no one except for the poor is getting free healthcare through this. I know people who have been financially devastated despite having insurance after unexpected medical problems like cancer and a baby born prematurely. When you are sitting there with $250-500,000 in medical bills with the hospital unwilling to work with you or help you by offering an affordable payment plan then tell me how the system is fine the way it is.

The ONLY good thing I can think of is the no longer worry of those that have pre-exsisting conditions....but beyond that....YIKES!

This is a very scary and slippery slope and it is pointing our country in a direction that I fundamentally disagree with!

And the other posters are correct, NOTHING IS FREE!

Right now our government can barely manage all that it already has on its plate....and now we are going to hand over managing health care, OMG...who in their right minds thinks THE GOVERNMENT is going to do that in the most cost effective and timely manner?? Pah-Leeease!

:(.

This is a sad, sad day for our nation. Obama is utterly destroying America and the way our founding fathers imagined our freedoms.

Those who can't see it must still be waiting in line for their Obama-bucks. Sorry, folks, there is no such thing!

I worry about small businesses. I think this may put a lot of them out of business. And then what? More people out of a job. My mom used to own a small coffee shop and there is no way that she would have been able to survive with Obamacare for any amount of time. I don't think that our healthcare before Obamacare was great, but I dont think this is the right way to go about it.
And you are right, NOTHING is free, we are going to be paying for healthcare for everybody else (the smokers, the drinkers, the wont get off their couchers).

It's a very sad day in our judicial history.

There are still 23 cases and 56 plaintiffs that are challenging provisions in the ACA on grounds that are not part of the Supreme Court case. These cases will be moving forward in the courts...

This is a quote from http://www.becketfund.org/faq/ :

"The Supreme Court agreed to review a challenge to the individual mandate, a separate provision of the universal health insurance reform law that requires individuals to obtain healthcare by 2014. The Becket Fund lawsuits involve another mandate under that law that requires all group health plans to provide contraception, sterilization, abortion-inducing drugs.

Even though these lawsuits involve two different mandates, they stem from a similar problem with the healthcare reform law—Congress over-reaching to impose a conformist one-size-fits-all solution to a perceived societal problem. It should come as no surprise that when Congress imposes mandates like these, it threatens individual liberty, generally, and religious liberty, specifically. The Founders knew this and structured our nation’s government such that Congress would have limited powers for this reason, so that Congress could not restrict liberty in these ways."

Personally, I'm not happy with the Supreme Court decision. All the lower courts threw out the tax argument.... so something else was at play here.... What really scares me is the blatant, total disregard for conscience rights and the attack on religious liberty imposed by the ACA. Well, first I'm scared, then I'm looking to fund and support all the organizations out there who are fighting this thing....

I am sad at the way things are being done in this country now and forced on people and being done behind closed doors and just put in or out. It's a real shame and not the America I grew up in. The president says he can't do something legally and then a year later he does it. Not the health care but on and on and on it goes. Our country is almost to the point of no return in my opinion and I realize that's what it is, my opinion.

i am happy in terms of insuring those with pre-exsisting conditions. When I was with my ex after being hit by the drnk driver he couldnt get insured anywhere even though he didnt want anything with his back to be done, the same for people with cancer in their past. I am happy those people will have coverage although I can not say I agree with everything, so I'm J. concentrating on those it will help=)

.

i heard an interesting comment this morning....."i don't mind paying for someone else's health care but i won't pay for their welfare check". what's the difference....

we as a country are going to pot....what has happened to us and out freedom and the things that our country was built on....

i'm very upset about this health care going thru

I feel scared to death about it. Yes, poor, uninsured people deserve healthcare. But what is going to happen as companies begin to opt out of insuring employees and eventually eveyone is on the govt. plan? I can't even imagine what it will be like if you need a specialist? I am guessing it will either be a VERY long wait or VERY expensive and out of pocket. I just hope the medical crisis in our family is resolved soon and that the rest of us get nothing worse than a sniffle for the rest of our lives. I really don't feel the need to have the government keeping tabs on my health history and deciding medical necessity, etc.!

Call me selfish, but when life and death situations arise, I want the best healthcare available for my family. As I said earlier, I am really frightned.

Added-- Now, I'm even more frightened, after reading Penny's post!

I am really not in the mood for a big political back and forth on this today, especially since that is ALL we will likely see on any news outlets for days to come... and none of our discussions here will do anything to change it.

But I am not happy. You are right, someone is paying for it. Me and my family. And maybe I misread it or it was wrong(?), but I saw an article covering the "high points" of the law, and it said that the insurance companies can no longer exclude anyone for preexisting conditions AND that they cannot charge higher premiums because of them. Huh?! So what exactly is the purpose of an actuary then? Are they all going to be out of a job now? Or gee..oh IIIIII know.... everybody else (that actually is paying for their insurance, the ones without government subsidies to help with the cost) will be paying exhorbitantly more for their own coverage, so that they can keep the costs the same across the board. Nothing is free.

ETA: (cut and pasted from a friend's FB page)
"Sooo, with my business and the new health care bill, I can pay penalty or pay insurance for employees? Is that right? Looks like I WONT be hiring anyone"

I was very disappointed in the Supreme court ruling. Obamacare has created a tax on people who don't carry health insurance. What else will they deem necessary to require me to buy?? The funny thing is that the tax is less than the cost of the insurance, so you pay the tax, then if you have medical problems or emergencies, you buy a policy. The insurance companies have to insure you and pre-existing conditions don't matter. I may be oversimplifying it.
The problem, especially in this economy, is that the cost of insurance to companies will increase. This is especially hard on companies who hire teenagers or young adults because it greatly increases the cost of hiring these people. Health insurance becomes a higher percentage of the expense of hiring minimum wage workers.
The part of the ruling that the court struck down dealt with the states and assumed that the states would carry more people on the Medicaid roles. Massive expansion of Medicaid is set to go into effect in 2014. Roughly 16 million Americans were expected to be covered under this expansion. The court, however, reined in this provision by prohibiting the federal government from penalizing states that don't comply by withholding existing Medicaid funds -- it's unclear how this affects the expansion.
I think this debate will continue throughout the fall elections and into next year. There are so many hidden rules and provisions in the healthcare agenda that they will continue to impact us all.

I am really not sure how I feel. It would have been nice if they struck it down. I am surprised they called it a tax and let it go. Maybe it was the only way to get a ruling. I just don't think you could have stretched it to fall under the commerce clause but yeah, Congress does have the power to tax us to death.

It almost feels like they said here, we made it fit the Constitution now you idiots in Congress can make it work.

I don't know enough about it to make a complete judgement. I am FOR eliminating preexisting conditions. I have a 4 year old with a complex congenital heart defect. He is covered now, but will eventually need his own insurance.

However, in other countries with socialized medicine, the doctors/hospitals/government do not go through extreme measures to save children that are born less than perfect. My son's hospital bill for the first 30 days of his life was over $1 million. He had open heart surgery at 11 days old. Countries with socialized medicine (like Norway) would NOT have spent that kind of money to save him. Especially since he needed more surgeries down the road.

What about preemies? Our country has the some of the smallest surviving preemies--because we choose to save them!

I'm wondering what will happen to my family and I if the small company I work for, where I've always had good insurance, decides not to provide it for their employees anymore. And if that happens, what will happen when I don't get a raise to cover the cost of insurance. Guess I'll run right out and get a new job...because those are easy to come by these days. (Especially in MI) Ha!

Call me selfish for thinking of myself....but I've sacrificed a lot to be a working mom for good healthcare. Apparently I may not have sacrificed enough yet. I'm envisioning that to afford healthcare on my own I'll need to get 2 jobs. Or wait I can just take the penalty and pay the government and my family can go without it.

Sigh....

I feel motivated. I was banking on the wisdom of the Supreme Court here to find the individual mandate unconstitutional, but since it is being interpreted under the auspices of a "tax," it is actually a bit good, politically.

I'm not going to waste my time debating people on Obamacare right now. I'm working on a bit of an opus to address, item by item, my problems with the Affordable Care Act, as well as my thoughts for ideas that WOULD be beneficial to our nation.

I am doing so because I believe that I have a perspective that is not that common in the general population. I come from a family of small business owners, my father is a Vet and hasn't received good treatment from the VA, I am married to a physician who is very plugged into the inner workings of his hospital (he works both at a private hospital and a VA hospital, and as a primary care provider, he'd actually benefit, financially, from the legislation), I have seen, firsthand many different ways of cost cutting that do NOT adversely impact patient care, I actually DO read the literature from the other side of the political spectrum (remember Senator Tom Daschle, President Obama's first choice for the Secretary of Health and Human Services whose tax problems prevented his confirmation - he is the main architect of the ACA (Affordable Care Act), and I DID read his book about health care in the US, in which he DOES propose what amounts to "death panels. I am Catholic, so conscience rights are of great importance to me, and I am a Social Studies teacher. Perhaps, most importantly, I am a skeptic to my core. I stopped believing in the inherent benevolence of government long ago, and instead cling to our Constitution to be our shield against tyranny (silly me).

Ok, I am rambling now, but in short, if this legislation is not repealed and a TRUE solution to our nation's health care problems I fear for our sick.

ETA: Just one link, as a reply to one of the below responses about doctors just accepting pay cuts. Good luck with that...ever heard of physician burnout? My husband is only 4 years out of residency and is ALREADY feeling burnt out. http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2012/06/patients-answer-docto...

AGREE in having pre-existing conditions covered!
DON'T agree in making health insurance mandatory for us!!!

Oh Cheryl. I was so upset to hear it. And the "conservative" who voted the wrong way? So dissapointing. I wonder if he was paid off to vote that way. I just don't get how a "penalty" is considered a "tax," therefore making it Constitutional. I don't see the country going in the right direction if this kind of stuff keeps up. If they control what we do with our healtcare, what's to say that we won't "require" us to do this and do that and take away ALL of our freedoms?

@Cheryl K - Exactly!

@Robyn ( love your name btw) - so true about Governement-run businesses/programs

You should read this article and put your information into the tool that's provided to see how it will affect you.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/politics/wha...

this might be of interest to some of you - hope it will all come thru...

Obama Wins the Battle, Roberts Wins the War

The chief justice’s canny move to uphold the Affordable Care Act while gutting the Commerce Clause.

By Tom Scocca|Posted Thursday, June 28, 2012, at 11:59 AM ET

Read the rest of Slate’s coverage on the Supreme Court upholding the Affordable Care Act.

There were two battles being fought in the Supreme Court over the Affordable Care Act. Chief Justice John Roberts—and Justice Anthony Kennedy—delivered victory to the right in the one that mattered.

Yes, Roberts voted to uphold the individual mandate, joining the court's liberal wing to give President Obama a 5-4 victory on his signature piece of legislation. Right-wing partisans are crying treason; left-wing partisans saw their predictions of a bitter, party-line defeat undone.

But the health care law was, ultimately, a pretext. This was a test case for the long-standing—but previously fringe—campaign to rewrite Congress' regulatory powers under the Commerce Clause.

This is why the challenge to the ACA, and its progress through the courts, came as a surprise to Democrats and to mainstream constitutional scholars: Three years ago, there was no serious doubt that Congress had the power to impose the individual mandate.

A Bloomberg story last week nicely captured the stakes: "Obama Health Law Seen Valid, Scholars Expect Rejection":

The U.S. Supreme Court should uphold a law requiring most Americans to have health insurance if the justices follow legal precedent, according to 19 of 21 constitutional law professors who ventured an opinion on the most-anticipated ruling in years.

Only eight of them predicted the court would do so.

The scholars expected to see the court gut existing Commerce Clause precedent and overturn the individual mandate in a partisan decision: Five Republican-appointed justices voting to rewrite doctrine and reject Obamacare; four Democratic-appointed justices dissenting.

Roberts was smarter than that. By ruling that the individual mandate was permissible as a tax, he joined the Democratic appointees to uphold the law—while joining the Republican wing to gut the Commerce Clause (and push back against the necessary-and-proper clause as well). Here's the Chief Justice's opinion (italics in original):

Construing the Commerce Clause to permit Congress to regulate individuals precisely because they are doing nothing would open a new and potentially vast domain to congressional authority. Congress already possesses expansive power to regulate what people do. Upholding the Affordable Care Act under the Commerce Clause would give Congress the same license to regulate what people do not do. The Framers knew the difference between doing something and doing nothing. They gave Congress the power to regulate commerce, not to compel it. Ignoring that distinction would undermine the principle that the Federal Government is a government of limited and enumerated powers. The individual mandate thus cannot be sustained under Congress’s power to “regulate Commerce.”

The business about "new and potentially vast" authority is a fig leaf. This is a substantial rollback of Congress' regulatory powers, and the chief justice knows it. It is what Roberts has been pursuing ever since he signed up with the Federalist Society. In 2005, Sen. Barack Obama spoke in opposition to Roberts' nomination, saying he did not trust his political philosophy on tough questions such as "whether the Commerce Clause empowers Congress to speak on those issues of broad national concern that may be only tangentially related to what is easily defined as interstate commerce." Today, Roberts did what Obama predicted he would do.

Roberts' genius was in pushing this health care decision through without attaching it to the coattails of an ugly, narrow partisan victory. Obama wins on policy, this time. And Roberts rewrites Congress' power to regulate, opening the door for countless future challenges. In the long term, supporters of curtailing the federal government should be glad to have made that trade.

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/scocca/20...

Completely and totally disgusted.

Other people in other countries were watching the verdict, and when it came down that Obamacare was "constitutional," they all said they were very sad for us and our country and that our country will have all of the same problems (runaway taxes, runaway inflation, not being able to get in to see a doctor or for a procedure, being told you don't need that procedure/you're not sick enough, etc.) their countries currently do. One poster in Britain said, "welcome to Socialism." I thought our country was a republic? A republic isn't socialism, but the way our country is being governed, it no longer is a republic and is turning toward socialism--or a lot worse.

I would have just an ounce of feeling better IF this universal healthcare law allowed ALL medical modalities to INCLUDE alternative healthcare. THEN it would be truly healthcare for ALL Americans. The way it stands at the moment, it is designed to enrich the pockets of the insurance industries, the western allopathic healthcare industry, and the pharmaceutical companies and will make our country go into debt. Sorry, but if you've read the way it's been set up, there is no way we can substainably afford to pay for it.

We need healthcare reform; I believe that with all my heart. However, we do not need Obamacare.

I have mixed feeling about it. I am happy that someone is doing SOMETHING about health care. Other than just saying No, No, No, it's fine. Those people that are paying ridiculous amounts for very little care. (We pay 400 a month, have a 7,500 PER PERSON deductible, and they don't cover half what we need. Plus unless you want to pay 900 a month, you can't get maternity on private insurance) Those people who can't afford health care who use the ER as a regular doctor and leave the rest of us to pay the bill. Yeah, that's all ok. Let's continue down that road.

However, I don't really trust our government to handle it, but obviously private insurance can't handle it either.

Honestly, I think if we started to regulate healthcare more, bills like this wouldn't be needed. If we lowered the cost of getting a medical degree, stopping quadruple charging to services rendered, and bring down hospital bills then we wouldn't be in the mess we are now.

i'm really uncomfortable with the individual mandate, and it doesn't make me any more comfortable to have it squished and re-formed into a 'tax' to make it work.
ish.
that being said, i'm very relieved that obamacare isn't being scrapped. for all its flaws (and they are legion), it's the first real movement toward health care improvement and overhaul that anyone's had the cojones to do. all the republicans can scream is 'repeal!' without one single solitary better idea to put forward.
i'm very happy for all those who will be helped by this legislation, and hope that as it unrolls it can be worked on and improved.
khairete
S.

Everyone deserves to be insured that's true but leave it at a state level don't punish everyone else who has insurance. I'm scared to what if the government decides my son doesn't need his meds? Or like others said it takes forever to see a dr? I hope we get someone in office this year who can fix this mess before it really gets ugly. It's already crappy about what Obamacare did to fsa accounts...sigh

I totally agree with Kate and Amyj....Our country truly does need a reform. As a family of 4(for a few more weeks) our insurance is almost equal to what we pay in rent. Thank God we are a healthy bunch. It's incredibly frustrating and confusing to me that illegals can get free health care yet our veterans and seniors often times don't have access quality FREE or even affordable care. Makes me wonder what will happen to my parents-My grandparents were public employees and are struggling so much with rising costs. My uncle-a 25 year navy vet was forced out of the navy and now is struggling to come up with the money forthe care his family needs while he attends school-he is working at a gas station just to pay for eye glasses and diabetes meds. Fact is there is no simple solution. I am upset it was forced on us too btw.

The entire circus got me so confused I have no idea what to think.
I suppose I will form my opinion when I actually see how it affects me personally.
I pay a huge amount for insurance right now....and it's crappy coverage for the most part.
It's like you said "nothing is free".
The people that already have FREE medical insurance through government programs via low income has been in place for decades... I'm not sure we are really going to see many differences. It would be nice to see welfare benefits cut in order for the recipient to pay their fair share for medical rather than the tax payer .... however the latter is most likely the one that will suffer.

i know this isn't universal healthcare! I know I do not understand taxing (or rather punishing) people who don't have insurance.

I think Micheal Moore was right...sorry. Watch "Sicko" just once. Cubans get treated better then we do.

J, you're absolutely right. Though since he's half-white, I suppose we are only 50% hateful of him. It couldn't be his politics, because that would mean we were actually opposed to his push for more abortions, more government, and higher taxes. It would mean we were AGAINST socialist healthcare policies that have failed everywhere they've been attempted....and were resoundly stomped out by Republicans AND Democracts when our gloriously white Clinton made the attempt during his administration. But that's not possible, right? I mean....how could anyone fundamentally disagree with Obama? So you must be right....it must be his slightly mocha skin tone that has us so offended. Excuse me while I go evaluate my entire belief system in light of this startling epiphany.

I think it will breathe oxygen into the insurance and pharma inferno.

Most of what has actually helped my kids has not been covered by insurance. The only exception was my son's recent appendectomy. And if I had the many thousands of premium $$ that we have paid through the years we could have paid cash for the surgery.

I'm not surprised with Roberts . . . he is a pharma/insurance guy.

:(

Cheryl I hadn't been signed on to MP all day, but I just KNEW you would post about this. I have nothing to contribute, but I just thought I'd tell you thanks for making me smile. :)

Hi, Cheryl:

We are very sadden by the vote. Our country needs every voting citizen to get involved in their local activists groups: T-Party, Libertarian, and Conservative coalition. Get your voice heard in your local government meetings and speak to issues coming up.

Good luck,
D.

My answer is that I am mad enough to chew 10 penny nails. Mr.Obama didn't even want John Roberts approved as Chief Justice, so I was really amazed. Especially since until about 3 weeks ago he declared it unconstitutional and only changed his mind in the last few days. It isn't Constitutional. It's just another word for TAXES. Everything will be taxed from now on. And, if you can't afford to buy insurance you will be fined. Sure, just fine all those people who have already been without work for several years and also had their homes foreclosed on them. You and your children will lose or have your Medicaid and or Medicare reduced. Your doctor visits will be limited and your co-pay and prescription amounts will be increased. Plus, military pay will be reduced and some of them are already having to get by on Food Stamps. What really angers me is why so many people can't see this. Also, the 11,000,000 illegals that are here getting freebies off the American people's Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, college tuition, etc. all so they can vote for the current administration. I'll bet that if I had gone to Mexico yesterday to vote for their new president, they would have laughed in my face. Yet they are invited here to vote so they can get the freebies from the American government. Don't get me wrong. I have a lovely Latino daughter in law and her three precious kids. Plus, my granddaughter just married a wonderful Latino young man, but they were born here. They are citizens. They have the same rights that I do. I just hate all the freedoms that illegals are allowed for the sake of politics. And, if that doesn't get him re-elected he can start a war by using Executive privilege and totally bypass Congress. May God please open their eyes wide before election day. As for the Chief Justice, he caved in to politics. I heard on the news that Justice R. Bader Ginsburg was furious with him too. Well, that's my say. I'll get off my soap box now.

I will admit I am a little confuse on the subject. From what I read on the bill they were suppose to change medicaid before they made this a law. Raising medicaid so it covers anyone under the 130% poverty level. Right now for an adult to be on medicaid you have to make under $250 a month for a family of four. Since they have not done this I don't see how this will lower healthcare premiums like others have suggested. In fact since the goverment health care is still really the same right now (intill they change it) there is nothing to stop insurance companies from raising the premiums since now people HAVE to have insurance. Like I said I am a little confused I only saw about 5 minutes of coverage on it on CNN. In fact I would love for someone to explain it to me a little better.

We all pay for the uninsured. Who do you think pays when an uninsured person is in a car accident? we do.

Do all of you think medicaid and medicare are bad? they were bitterly contested in the day.

Penny, I don't understand how HIPAA will go away, or how EMRs are bad. Safety and accountability are increased. Where does the nationally accessible come in? Won't records be de-identified?

Many hospitals want to put patient records on line, so patients have access to their own records, and I think this is a terrible idea, and impossible to secure, but that is happening now, Obamacare or no.

I felt the same until I heard "really smart" people explaining that Roberts actually did a good thing by calling a TAX a TAX and that we can now fight it from that angle. There's more to the benefit of Roberts ruling that way, and I hope you can hear some of the smart people explaining it. Nice to know there are others beside me and mine who fear what's happening to our country. Bless you.