Some of you may have heard that on Friday, the Trump administration weighed in on a case before the Supreme Court trying to repeal Obamacare (formally known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act).
In a story reported by NPR, the Trump administration submitted an 82-page brief an hour before a court-imposed midnight deadline, arguing that the act had been rendered unconstitutional when in 2017 (as part of their tax “reform”) the Republicans Congress repealed the individual mandate.
What? We’re still fighting about Obamacare?
Yes, dear reader. We’re still fighting about Obamacare.
Now, you could be excused if you’ve lost track of where we are in this never-ending saga, so let me refresh your recollection.
- The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act became effective on March 23, 2010.
- The Supreme Court decided that the act was constitutional back in 2012 through the case of National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius, 567 U.S. 519 (2012).
- The Federal Congress repealed the individual mandate in their 2017 tax cuts act.
- Texas and other conservative states challenged the constitutionality of the act again, based on the fact that the individual mandate had been repealed.1
- The Trump administration did not formally join this effort until last Thursday night at the court-imposed deadline.2
The Republicans, who have repeatedly promised to unveil an alternative to Obamacare, have had 3751 days to get the job done.
Let me say that again.
They’ve had 3751 days to get the job done.
That’s 10 years, 3 months and 6 days.
Trump himself has (of course!) repeatedly promised to come up with something “much better” than Obamacare.
He has repeatedly promised that he wouldn’t touch Medicaid or Medicare.
He has repeatedly promised that he wouldn’t touch pre-existing conditions.
All of those promises (needless to say) were lies.
If the Republicans succeed before the Supreme Court, some of the things that will go with Obamacare include:
- Provisions that insurance companies cannot exclude you for pre-existing conditions.
- Provisions that children can stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26.
- Provisions for expanded Medicaid.
- Provisions for the health care exchanges, where approximately 23 million Americans get their health insurance.
That’s right. Approximately 23 million Americans would lose their health insurance.
In the middle of a fucking pandemic.
As Nancy Pelosi was quoted as saying in response, this decision is “an act of unfathomable cruelty.”
Yes it is.
As I never tire of pointing out, the individual mandate was a Republican idea. It was hatched at the Heritage Institute.
Our idea is Medicare for All.
These guys, the Republican party, have had 3751 fucking days to come up with a reasonable alternative, and they have not been able to do it.
It’s because they don’t give a shit about your health.
Trump is still pissed because Obama was able to do what no President before him had done, and that was to pass universal health care legislation.
That’s it.
If this doesn’t expose the Republicans as being the hyprocrites that they so clearly are, I don’t know what it will take.
- Technically, the case was consolidated with another case brought by Democratic states asking for the act to be declared constitutional.
- Before joining with the conservative states, the Trump administration had “declined” to defend Obamacare, but had not actively sought its repeal in this particular litigation.
