Obama Health Care

It is expected that the Supreme Court will make a decision this month regarding Obama healthcare; while there are 4 potential outcomes, you can be sure that whichever outcome it is, you haven’t heard the last of this hotly debated health care law.  Regardless of what happens, it’s highly likely that we will see more lawsuits, more congressional battles next year, and more state actions taken.  How do you stand on Obama healthcare?  Are you for the law in its entirety, against it, for the individual mandate, or against it?  Here are a few interesting takes on what could happen depending on the decision of the Supreme Court later this month.

Obama healthcare law totally upheld.  Opponents will not go away, according to Cato Institute health policy director Michael Cannon.  If a decision is made by the court to uphold the law in its entirety, you can be sure the flood gates will open to lawsuits, as well as political and legislative action.  Legislative attacks will resume by Republicans in Congress.

The entire healthcare law struck down.  If the courts decide to completely kill the Obama healthcare law, confusion and chaos could ensue, partly because certain aspects of the bill have already been enacted.  One question many have if the healthcare law is struck down is whether the effect of the Supreme Court’s ruling would be retroactive or prospective.  According to non-partisan Kaiser Family Foundation’s V.P. of special projects Larry Levitt, a mess would ensue if the law is killed in the court.  Levitt states that anything that has already happened is kind of water under the bridge in a general sense.

Uphold Obama healthcare, strike down the individual mandate.  Most feel this is the scenario most likely to unfold, and huge complications would be presented.  Why would this create complications?  Because insurance companies would be required under the expansive provisions of this law to cover individuals who have pre-existing conditions, yet Americans would not be required to purchase health insurance coverage.  If the healthcare law is upheld but the mandate struck down, it is estimated that premiums would increase by about 15% to 20% in the individual health insurance market, becoming ‘unworkable’ for insurance companies according to former Florida attorney general Bill McCollum.

Further provisions of Obama healthcare invalidated.  In the event the mandate is struck down, lawmakers feel that if those with pre-existing conditions should no longer be protected.  In this way, the future insurance market would be much like today’s, with premiums being cheaper overall, but particularly for those who are healthy and young.  The huge disadvantage is that those who need coverage most, the elderly and those in bad health, would suffer in terms of quality of coverage.

Regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on Obama healthcare, there is one certainty:  it will not end the discussion and disagreements.  This is a topic that is likely to be heated for quite some time to come.

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