Thursday’s Supreme Court ruling finding that President Barack Obama’s healthcare plan - the Affordable Care Act - is legal and leading to a number of statements from elected officials and candidates about the decision. Below are several of those statements.
• U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (Democrat):
• Rep. Tim Bishop (D, 1st District)
"Today's Supreme Court decision compels us to finally put aside the political wrangling over the Affordable Care Act and move forward to fully implement reforms that will control costs while improving quality of care. This ruling confirms that, as a result of the Health Reform Law, all Americans will have access to secure and affordable coverage regardless of pre-existing health conditions, age, gender or employment status. I call on my colleagues to work in a bipartisan manner to address the challenges facing our economy and abandon the symbolic effort to repeal a law that was fully debated in Congress and has been deemed constitutional by the Supreme Court."
• Randy Altschuler, Republican candidate, 1st Congressional District
“I strongly disagree with the court’s ruling today. President Obama and incumbent Washington politician Tim Bishop must be held accountable this November for forcing Suffolk County’s working families, small businesses and seniors on a fixed income to shoulder the $500 billion in tax increases and $500 billion in Medicare cuts in this law that will further cripple our economy and slow job creation. Now, more than ever, if you want to change Congress you need to start by changing your Congressman."
• Rep Steve Israel (D, 2nd District)
“Today’s ruling isn’t a political victory for Democrats, it’s a victory for America’s middle class and seniors, and now House Republicans need to drop their partisan obstruction and move on. Insurance companies are not back in control of a patient’s care. Insurance companies can’t again deny coverage to people with asthma, cancer or heart disease, or block women from getting cancer screenings. Republicans have wasted the last 18 months on a misguided, partisan crusade to put insurance companies back in charge of health care, instead of getting the economy back on track and strengthening the middle class.”
• Stephen Labate, Republican candidate, 2nd Congressional District
"The American people were clearly misled by President Obama and Congressman Steve Israel by insisting the individual mandate was not a tax. The Supreme Court saw through this and upheld the individual mandate for what it really was a tax. Elections have consequences and today we witnessed the disastrous outcome of electing officials who are willing to be so blatantly untruthful to the American people."
• Rep. Peter King, (R, 3rd District)
“I oppose today’s ruling, which upheld a sweeping government takeover of our health care sector. I believe the strongest response is to repeal Obamacare and implement incremental reforms, such as ensuring coverage regardless of pre-existing conditions, allowing portability of insurance from one job to another and allowing small businesses to band together to buy insurance. Most importantly, we must work towards reducing insurance premiums and co-pays, which this law does not do. I will continue to fight to repeal this law and to enact measures that empower patients while simultaneously reducing costs.”
• Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller (Democrat)
“The Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act is a victory for New Yorkers and all Americans. The law has significant fiscal implications for our state, providing more than $1 billion annually in new Medicaid assistance and delivering affordable health coverage for New Yorkers. While we have not yet solved the challenge of balancing health care access and cost, today's decision moves us one step closer to reforming our nation's costly health care system.”
Editor’s Note: Patch will update as more statements come in throughout the day.
But I was speaking only of people who are employed or could be employed; still, I should have clarified the point, so thanks for mentioning this less well-known aspect of the law.
Facts can be proven. Are you referring to the wildly-accusing-provides-no-proof "Peace & Love," or to me, or to...who?
Where are the weapons of mass destruction...right now they are in the White House; Barack Obama IS a weapon of mass destruction more effective than any bomb any terrorist could ever hope to plant.
I'm all for Tim Bishop and when my district is changed he will have my vote.
assign it to.
You want to talk about a lack of humanity check in with some vulnerable senior citizens after this law gets fully implemented in a couple of years. Read some the the Medicare trustees' reports. Try getting informed.
I have noticed the proponents of this law are all very good at what the law says and they represent their side well- but they seem incapable,(or unwilling), to discuss the fall out of this law. I would like to start with the Supreme Court decision itself and hopefully than get some feedback on the cost of all this. The Supreme Court Decision- The Court’s decision of turning a penalty into a tax expanded the government’s ability to tax us. It actually did more than that. The decision made it law that this new tax power is a mandate power. The court allowed that if you don’t buy insurance, you pay a tax. If you don’t do what government says to do, you will be taxed. That is so alarming to me, so against the values of this country that it sickens me even to write it. Please, proponents of this law, please tell me your opinion about the decision. Thank you.
David Doig, Associate Professor of Business Five Towns College...Director of The Bayport School of Music http://bsm.musicteaching.info/
I am not afraid to have strong opinions. We are served poorly by those who are loathe to have any opinion that isn't like a bowl of warmed over mush. And too many are afraid to challenge the President on his ever more destructive policies. As to knowing the will of the people, we will find out what it is in November.
I’m OK with the strong opinions part of your post. If President Bush had heeded warnings in the 4th year of his presidency regarding potential pitfalls of his monetary policy, perhaps the collapse of the financial system, in the final months of his 8th year could have been avoided! I believe the political system works best when an outcome (goal) is set and both political parties do their best to attain that goal. Unfortunately the current political environment is obsessed only with the process whereby healthcare will be reformed and not the ultimate goal of revising the current healthcare system. The American people are sick of the current political environment where compromise is not an option. I agree, the winner in November will be the candidate which most Americans will be able to identify with!
I am against this sub-rosa finagling by both parties and the mendacious way they pass life altering bills without reading them. We still don't know most of what is in the Healthcare Bill, and at the risk of appearing cynical, I doubt that even one of the Supremes actually read it in it's entirety. I believe both parties treat the American people as if we are a vast sea of dribbling morons and you know, if we continue to allow them to do so, we are.
You Republicans and Teabaggers don't seem to be smart enough, as a group, to know what is in your best interests. I would like to know what your fascination is with the bloated rich of America. I would like to know how you can believe that corporations are people. Medicare works great and it needs to be extended to all Americans. In a country where 90% of the wealth is owned by 1% of the population we have a President who wants, not to steal money from the wealthy but only that they pay their fair share so that everyone can live a good life. I hope that if you get sick you have to depend on "charity" for your medical care. You'll see how far THAT will get you. It would be a good lesson for you so keep on paying those outrageous health care premiums, and over the top prescriptions. As a group your party is the party of hate. Hate immigrants, hate Obama, hate the poor, hate brown people, and hate yourself. All that hate is reflected in the political party that you have chosen. Take a bit of advice and turn off Fox and learn how your government works. Learn that your party sees you as nothing more than either a burden or a wage slave for them. Stay well my friend.