Holding out hope on High Court’s healthcare ruling
Milwaukee Democrat Jon Richards says many people are holding their breath until hearing the decision from the US Supreme Court on the challenge to the federal health care law, but he says regardless of the outcome, that can’t be the end of the discussion. He says if the justices leave everything in tact, everyone needs to move forward with the healthcare law; if any of the provisions are struck down, then politicians needs to work in a bipartisan manner to make sure everyone has affordable healthcare.
Robert Kraig Executive Director of Citizen Action of Wisconsin, says regardless of the ruling, healthcare can be reformed. He says it’s a matter of political will; people just need to work together. The individual mandate requiring people to either purchase insurance or pay a fine is a key element of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act — or ObamaCare — as are protections against discrimination for patients with preexisting conditions. Kraig says if the “civil rights protections” are taken out of the law, it will hurt many Americans.
Kraig says for many Americans health care coverage is a matter of “life and death.”
Opponents of the law believe it’s a huge over-reach on the part of the government. If the law is upheld, Republicans have pledged to repeal it. President Barack Obama signed the bill into law in March, 2010.