Supreme Court Upholds 'Obamacare'

The wait for the Supreme Court decision on the Affordable Care Act—what some call "Obamacare"—is over.

Today, the last day of the 2011-2012 Supreme Court session, Chief Justice John Roberts said the individual mandate may be upheld as a tax under a narrow reading of the Constitution.

"The individual mandate cannot be upheld as an exercise of Congress's power under the Commerce Clause," Roberts wrote. "That Clause authorizes Congress to regulate interstate commerce, not to order individuals to engage in it. In this case, however, it is reasonable to construe what Congress has done as increasing taxes on those who have a certain amount of income, but choose to go without health insurance. Such legislation is within Congress's power to tax."

State Sen. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, who represents portions of and Bartow, opposed the contraversial law. In a statement, he said:

I am troubled by today’s ruling on the PPACA and the U.S. Supreme Court’s failure to recognize Congress overextended its power by enacting this poorly-researched and costly law. Forcing burdensome health insurance mandates on both businesses and individuals, and promising punishment for those who do not comply, sets a dangerous precedent at the cost of higher taxes and our personal liberties.

Do you agree with the Supreme Court decision? Tell us in the comments.

Medical decisions should lie solely with patients and their physicians, and our nation cannot sustain the costs or personnel needed to fully implement the PPACA. The full implementation of this law will come at the cost of jobs and higher taxes. Most importantly, it will come at the cost of our health. The number of practicing medical professionals is already grossly disproportionate to the general population—and to some patients, time is not a luxury. Long waits for critical appointments and services will cause life or death situations.

When Congress passed this legislation, polling showed that the majority of the people in 49 of the 50 states opposed this proposal. Unfortunately, the majority of Congress ignored the will of the people and passed the PPACA. Fortunately, many members of that Congress are no longer in office and a new Congress must take on the task to correct this wrong. I call upon Congress to immediately introduce legislation to completely repeal all aspects of the PPACA.

Access to health care should never be held in hands other than our own. Health care is not one size fits all, and should be customized to meet individual needs. Georgia has already passed legislation that will block the most damaging parts of the PPACA, and I am eager to work towards implementing alternatives based in free-market principles for our state.