yeah, really go look at the damage that everyone having health care insurance has caused England. Mostly related to fewer people dying and whatnot.

Romneycare really is the best course for this nation. Thanks to Obama, we have it.

Rather than Obama wasting 3 1/2 years, looks like Mitt the FLIP has wasted the last 8 years! Treating everybody equally makes my day!!!

@JoeNY

Nationalized universal healthcare systems, like many nations in Europe have, including England, are consistantly scored better than the US healthcare system in terms of both quality of care provided and overall cost of care.

As for that cost/value program you're worried about, the health insurance companies already have that system in place. That's why you get the treatment they choose to cover, instead of the treatment your doctor suggests. Happens all the time.

The insurance companies will remain in control of the job of, "death panel".

This is an unmitigated disaster! As I watched Lawrence McDonald on MSNBC last night he lambasted, no, excoriated the bill to no end on numerous grounds. Lawrence is as far left as you get. We both agree the bill sucks, but for opposite reasons. This may well work against Obama's re-election hopes as people see the enormous NEGATIVE impact this bill has on the economy and the country.

I guess that this will become the biggest tax increase in history. Democrats get the credit.

All Hail Obama!

Ruler, Master, and Overlord of all you Republicans, Conservatives, and crazy-wacko Teabaggers for the next Four (yes! 4) very Long years.

Looks like Mitt Romney won't be the "Outsourcer and Chief" like he was hoping to be.

And no wonder, everybody and I mean everybody knew Romney was a poser and clown, who had Hidden Swiss bank accounts, phony off-shore Cyaman Island shell-companies, and only paid a 15% tax rate when the rest of us Working and Middle class are paying much Higher rates.

So everybody, Vote a straight Democratic ticket this November 2012 to make sure the Republican party ends up on the Dung Heap of History!

Faithwalker, if health care coverage "just makes you sick", rejoice in the fact that you can NO LONGER BE DENIED COVERAGE by the life-denying insurance industry. (Maybe someday they'll figure out a cure for people who don't recognize their own self-interest!)

The proverbial can of worms has been opened!

OH I nearly forgot, Obamacare IS the primary reason for the anemic recovery in our economy, caused by the cloud of uncertainty as to what affect this bill would have on companies. Well that uncertainty will slowly give way to abject pessimism as the reality of how it impacts employers is felt. Its no longer a matter of if our economy slips back into recession, now its just how deep and how long it will last.

WELL!!! hold on over the cliff we go.

TIME FOR A MAJOR REVOLT BY THE PEOPLE OF THIS GREAT COUNTRY!!!!!

@faithwalker

I suppose you are also against mandatory liability auto insurance. And I know the argument; "auto insurance isn't mandatory, because you don't have to have it if you don't drive." The problem with that line of thinking is that you can choose not to drive and thereby choose not to purchase auto insurance. You cannot choose to not get sick.

The individual mandate, once lauded by Republicans as the only true way to fix the health care system (before it became more politically viable to decry it), is one of only two ways to ensure a control on costs caused by the uninsured going to get treatment and then not paying; costs that medical providers shift to other patients in the form of increase procedural costs, which increases the overall cost of healthcare for those that do pay.

The other option is to allow for the refusal of treatment if you do not have or cannot provide proof of insurance. That would have to apply to emergency care as well. So, without an individual mandate, if you get rushed to the hospital with a dire emergency, forget your insurance card, and don't have a big wad of cash to pay for the treatment, they can leave you to die in the lobby.

So, pick your poison; everyone has to have insurance to cover illness and injury treatment, medical providers can leave you to die because you misplaced your insurance card, or the people who actually pay for coverage now covers the cost of treating people that don't. A, B, or C. Your choice.

I prefer mandatory coverage.

Hah! Hah! Let me guess!

Our wannabe "Outsourcer and Chief" Mitt romney is Now, as of Today, for Universal health Care, before he was Against "it" for this whole Election cyle, before he was for "it" in Massachusetts.

What a phony, what a poser, what a clown!

Hidden Swiss Bank accounts, off-shore Cayman Island Tax Havens, and what little money he did report to the IRS, he paid only a 15% tax rate, while us hard-working and middle-class folks were paying a Much Higher rate. That's Not just wrong, that's sick.

Let's make sure the Party of George Bush, Dick Cheney, Karl Rove, haliburton, Blackwater, etc. etc. Ends up on the "Dung Heap of History" by Voting a straight Democratic ticket this November 2012.

I couldn't agree more with RevLucifer. Well said. It's amazing what Republicans think. Also, the things they're concerned with have nothing to do with the mandate and everything to do with the operations of the insurance companies. It's either mental gymnastics, confusion, or just pure ignorance.

Thank you,

I try very hard to make sure that I present a well reasoned argument to support my positions on here. I don't like to simply spout talking points. The fact is, with the exception of the individual mandate, the public overwhelmingly supports what the Affordable Care Act does. And the problem with the individual mandate can be simply attributed to the natural aversion to be told that you *have* to do something. As humans, we prefer to *choose* to do things.

Everything that the Republicans say is wrong with the ACA are already inherent in the system; "death panels" already exist within the insurance companies, who decide what treatments they will cover and what treatments they won't. Healthcare costs are increasing faster than inflation, and faster than any nation that has universal coverage.

We currently spend more per capita on healthcare than any other nation in the world, and rank rather low in quality of care. Why does everyone have to be afraid of trying something that has been shown to lower costs and improve quality of care? And why do we have to toss around "socialism" like some kind of verbal grenade? I don't believe in having a fully socialist society, but once you stop having a seizure everytime someone mentions the word, and start to actually look at it objectively, you will realize that there are some concepts in socialism that are very good for society as a whole, and that can be easily incorporated into our capitalist society without bringing about the apocalypse.

Get a grip on reality and don't freak out about things just because a politician says you should.

Everyone grow up!! it's not the end of the world.

This is the SAME program Republicans wanted in place and talked about for years, but all of a sudden since Obama has been in office, they don't support it anymore. It's ridiculous, and if they think Americans don't see and understand that FACT they are delusional.

I really hope that it is affordable cause i work pt n dont make 10,000 a year if not i am screwed

"@faithwalker

I suppose you are also against mandatory liability auto insurance. And I know the argument; "auto insurance isn't mandatory, because you don't have to have it if you don't drive." The problem with that line of thinking is that you can choose not to drive and thereby choose not to purchase auto insurance. You cannot choose to not get sick."

Hey Rev, big difference here. Now think about this. One is a State law, the other a Federal law. Get the picture now?

"I couldn't agree more with RevLucifer. Well said. It's amazing what Republicans think. Also, the things they're concerned with have nothing to do with the mandate and everything to do with the operations of the insurance companies. It's either mental gymnastics, confusion, or just pure ignorance"

StateAtty, when you agree with someone who doesn't know what they are talking about, where does that place your ignorance level? The problem in any field today, is that most are money oriented. Years ago, doctors never placed money before treatment, and any doctor who did, was not in the field for very long after. It should still be that way today. Any doctor, or even hospital that refuses treatment to anyone, should not be allowed to keep a license. It stops being about humanity when you place a dollar value on a life, and the medical treatment of said life.

With car insurance, you will find that in some states, as long as you can show that you can pay for damages, you don't need to buy insurance. Not with this Federal Health Care law. You get taxed for it if you don't buy what they feel that you need to have. Do the states that allow you to pay out of pocket for damages if you have no insurance, tax those people for not having insurance? No they don't, and they don't force you to buy it, as the Feds will do with Health Care.

Party line stances and political rhetoric, you gotta love it. NOT!

The kiss of death, I smell mutiny in this country

You want an "instant reaction" look at the stock market - down 150+ and falling... a "victory" for one man's ego (Obama) a serious blow to the U.S. economy, and freedom in general, when we are already on our knees.

Wow, us Socialists, I mean us Dems, are now raelly moving quick towards our Socialist Utopia, in the land you Conservatives and Republicans, once call America. Viva la France!

I can't wait for Obama to now take away all your guns, stack the Supreme Court with as many Socialists and Commies as he can, and issue those cute little Islamic prayer rugs to all you Republicans, Conservatives, and crazy-wacko Teabaggers, and make you Mitt Romney supporters kneel and pray to Mecca, every morning.

ps. you Cons were right about one thing, Obama was really born in Kenya! Hah! Hah! too Late now. He's In for another four Years.

@pjam

Have you ever heard of a "self-fulfilling prophecy"? The fact is, simply by repeating over and over that the Affordable Care Act is bad for the economy, a large swath of American citizens will accept that assertion as fact without bothering to look at the underlying facts. It's a common tactic on both sides of the aisle to repeat something over and over until it's believed as fact, and neither side ends up being particularly worried about what's true. So, we've had a few years of Republicans running around in fits, shouting from the moutaintops that Obamacare is going to ruin the country's economy, and it's no wonder that quite a few people overreact, either because they are uninformed about the truth, or because they are beholden to the Republican party.

Obama was not born in Kenya, you fu*king moron...

We have not had "affordable health care" in this country for many, many years - just ask anyone who's trying to pay for an independent insurance policy. I'm thrilled that insurance companies can no longer deny coverage for pre-existing conditons, young adults can remain insured under their parents policies, etc.

Happy day! I read the Wrong Headline that CNN had posted before MSNBC had anything in "print."

Having been in the health insurance business for over 40 years, I can tell you that this is the only chance affordable health care has!

The larger the group of uninsureds becomes, the greater the problem becomes.

The costs are shifted to those of us who do pay and the very ill people who utilize the most services not only pay for their care but the larger share of the uninsured.

That is unaffordable and unfair to those suffering major illnesses!

You can be sad all you want, but those kids that now have coverage, and in 2014 when the rest of us will be able to get coverage far outweighs your heavily politicized concern. Romney put together a great health care system. Glad we get to keep it.

Sad day for the big insurance carriers and their powerful lobbies with a stranglehold on politicians....mostly Repubs. Happy day for Americans especially the poor, the children of the poor and single parent households. Change is imminent and President Obama promised "Yes we can"...and we did!

@Dennis: Your last sentence made my day. Thank you! LOVE IT!

WeAreInTrouble27, your right.. they can't deny.. but they now have an excuse to raise ALL the rates. Think it wasn't affordable before?

And Newsflash... you are now legally required to have Health Insurance that only the Government deems appropriate!! In other words, if the carrier isn't on their list, they don't count.

Name one, just ONE government run, endorced program that has maintained at least 10 years of success?... JUST ONE??!!?? Now we are letting them control our Healthcare!!

Yes, I agree with you! I am trilled that insurance companies can no longer get rich off of poor & middle class Americans. It is long overdue for affordable insurance in America. Now they can't use pre-existing conditions excuse with those who are sick and really need the coverage. HAPPY HAPPY DAY!!!

Good for Obama, his Socialistic / Marxist motives are coming into full bloom. Next he will have his

brown shirted thugs marching down city streets. Sad day for America , we are now another step to total bankruptcy as are Spain, Greece, Portugal and most of the rest of Europe. Enjoy it Liberals.

well Im so glad that I will be working to give more to the people that dont, I know of people that have taken and used the system for everything and to no prevail, all I see is that I as a working middle class person will have to give up more. did any one even think about who in the hell is going to pay forr this!!!! taxed to the max already and they still want more. are the senate and congress willing to pay for there issurance with out the price cut that the tax payers pay, or all your state and federal employees??????

One of those Judges helped write it... nice "conflict of interest". Wonder how much Citicorp and AIG paid for enough support.

Louis - "4 of the Justices whined about Obamacare and were sat in the corner."

Actually they were standing up for the MAJORITY of American citizens, who have also been "sat in the corner" by Obama. Wonder how they'll vote this fall?

@pjam

The problem with your "majority" claim is that if you leave out the fact that it's part of Obamacare, the majority of Americans like every part of the Affordable Care Act, with the notable exception of the individual mandate. But as I said above, the only other options besides the individual mandate are to allow patients to die if they can't provide proof of coverage (not because they don't have coverage, but because they can't prove they have coverage), or to continue to allow those that pay for healthcare to cover the costs of those that don't.

And the bulk of the problem with the individual mandate comes from the fact that people hate being told they have to do something, even if it's in their best interest.

Not sure the economy can be fixed any longer.

The economy is headed in the right direction. What we need is more liquidity. Too bad so many of the wealthy are just sitting on the money, not letting it get back into the system.

To fix the economy you need to get the GOP to start thinking of the people out of work, instead of only trying to put Obama out of work. They have to drop the "it's better to have one person out of work than to have millions get work"..

Look at the stock markets reaction... the economy just took a serious hit, and it is not because of Europe or whatever other excuse the liberal media tries to assign to it.

Yes Dennis, we are waiting for you to put all of your skin in the game first. Be a good leader and set a good example for the rest. When you are bankrupt I am sure that the Obama government will bail you out.

Actually, this DOES help to fix the economy.

I wonder, if all the folks that keep slamming the Affordable Health Care Act, have actually read over the bill? I have and their is not one item in the bill that is bad for the American people. Their is so much reteric and lies that the GOP spout continuously, that people are so used to hearing the lies they believe them. Just read what is in the bill before you decide if you like it or not. Thank God the bios Supreme Court upheld the bill.

TKS, I totally agree! On the face of it, healthcare regardless of which option you pick, will always run in the red because of the enormous costs of advancing technology and research and development. Consequently, the Teapartys, smoke in mirror rhetoric about purchasing healthcare across state lines has been proven to be what it really is "poppycock". It would have been a zero sum game. You do not now have government health insurance. What we have is private insurance with government oversight and government cost controls. Consequently insurance companies can no longer wild on you. The only other option would have been single payer, which, would have been totally government controlled. We took the insurance lobbyists down. They are the largest cash institutions in the world. This is a good thing!

Surely you jest! Think about how government works....you pledge allegiance; government keeps you safe...think draft; seatbelt laws, etc. You want no government, you have chaos.

John, it's your government, or did you forget that? Americans created it, and Americans benefit from what it does.

John, it's your government, or did you forget that?  Americans created it, and Americans benefit from what it does. 

Cindy how have you been living in this economy ?

If yo do not have health insurance, what do you do when you get sick?

With no insurance you amke arrangements with the hospital and doctors. I have been paying on a bill for 1 1/2 years now.

Yes it's going to hurt the little people extremely...if you had Medicare which seems to work effectively for many people ..look out...that is going away and your going to wish you never had supported Obama healthcare....what was once good will no longer be good. In order to get good healthcare you'll have to be rich...you don't know what your in for....plus Dr.s will be bailing....good luck everyone....try and keep yourself healthy

The majority of people in this country can not afford health insurance - either their job does not provide the option at an affordable rate - or health care is just not offered. Imagine making $30-$35K a year - supporting your family - in this economy there is no $$ left to pay for healthcare. When you don't have health care - you do not go to the Dr. Even if you should.

Amen Cindy! Last year I lost my job,and at 55 years of age, it took 6 mths to find another (I was lucky) but the job only barely pays my bills. This does not include groceries or gas. There is NO extra income for things like luxuries (movies, dinners out, new clothes). I had the opportunity to get health insurance with the new job, but it would cost me nearly 1/3 of my paycheck a month in premiums....so that would mean no electricity. So now I have to find a way to pay anyway???? How about fixing the economy so I can get a decent job!

Okay, Cindy, but what do you do when you're diagnosed with a long term, expensive illness, like cancer, or diabietes (I know I spelled that wrong, but I don't want to look it up now), or if you have some sort of horrific accident that requires an extended hospital stay? How do you make arrangements to pay half a million dollars in medical costs? If you can't pay all that bill, those costs get shifted over to the people who do have insurance by increasing the cost of services for everyone. That increases the cost of insurance, which is why we're in the mess we're in right now.

My only problem with the ruling is that they struck down the Medicare clause, which would make it available to more people in low income situations, like yourself. I'm constantly amazed at how the Republicans can so consistently make people hate things that are in their best interest overall.

Cindy, if you meet certain income guidelines, the Government will give you subsidies to help you offset the costs of your health care coverage, and if your income goes below a certain level, you will then be able to tap into the expanded Medicaid funds that are also part of The Affordable Health Care Act. Our President is trying to look out for all Americans, not just those at the top of the income scale.

@ Edward bye bye

Yeah....upholding a law that would insure every man, woman and child was the last straw! I can't take it anymore.....I'm out! (sarcasm)

Obama 2012

Covering millions of children with health insurance who those companies had been denying previously will allow weaker children to survive childhood that would otherwise. This will destroy America because we need those weakened children to die! Right Edward? That's exactly what you think, isn't it?

Consider it a first step. Health care for profit is morally wrong. In addition, what we have now is sick care not health care. Maybe we can now begin to move toward preventative care for all.

Healthcare for profit is morally wrong?? What incentive do doctors have for going to school for 12 years? If they wanted to do it for free they could volunteer, but let's face it, many do it because they want to help people AND it is financially rewarding.

Why do you believe that doctors need financially rewarding "incentive" to choose medicine as a career path? It wasn't always so lucrative - that's a fairly recent post-WWII thing. They used to do it because they were interested in the field and/or so their parents got bragging rights.

Correct,

Until recently, being a medical doctor wasn't about profit; it was about scientific interest, prestige, and social status. You could make a decent living, and live well at that, but you wouldn't end up being wealthy. You could, however, be assured of getting invitations to all the big social gatherings, and would have the respect of the community.

But, I don't think that Carol was specifically referring to doctor's making a profit. Instead, the moral issue is when you have a health insurance company who has the inherent conflict of paying for as little medical care as possible to increase profits, and to provide you with quality healthcare. As we've seen time and again from corporations throughout the world, profit trumps quality.

That's why I was so amused by people so worried that the government will be setting up groups of people to decide whether or not you're valuable enough to pay for your medical care; the insurance companies already do that. That's why you have to accept the treatment your insurance will pay for instead of the treatment your doctor recommends. I know plenty of people who have insurance that refuses to cover their prescription costs because the generics (which have slightly different formulations, and so are not exact copies of name brand medications) are not sufficient to treat their illness. So they have to choose between paying completely out of pocket for an expensive treatment that will help, getting the insurance to pay for a treatment that won't help, or getting no treatment at all.

All that said, any doctor who gets into medicine to just to make money is not a doctor I'd like to visit. They would be more concerned with padding their bill with unnecessary tests rather than finding an effective treatment for whatever ails me.

It was 6 to 3 not 5 to 4, and it is the worst decision since Dred Scot.

Better a socialist society than a corporate one, where the Republicans have been taking us. And what Teabaggers and Republicans falsely call socialism is actually rule by the people, what our country was founded on, and which still exists, barely, in our Constitution. So a victory for the people, and a loss for the corporations. No wonder you and the right-wingers are furious.

Oh honey: Romney passed universal health-care in MA and was pro-choice for a long time before he decided he needed to look conservative in the last couple of years to get his campaign going.

You're an idiot! It's not Socialism at all. Meriwild!

Looks like us Socialists, Marxists and Commies, excuse me I mean us Dems, are quickly realizing our Socialist Utopia dream in the land you Republicans, Conservatives, and crazy-wacko Teabaggers, once called America.

Looks like Mitt Romney won't fullfill his dream of being the "Outsourcer and Chief". Too bad. How sad. I'm glad.

What we need to do now, is to make sure everybody, and I mean everbody Votes a straight Democratic ticket come this November 2012,

so that the Republican Party, the party of George Bush, Dick Cheney, Haliburton, Karl Rove, and Blackwater, did I mention Karl Rove, end up on the "Dung Heap of History" where they all belong.

Yeah! Viva la France!

Am I the only person tired of hearing people toss around "socialist" like they're saying "pedophile"? "Oh, he's a 'socialist'". Years upon years of hate-mongering has trained people to equate "socialist" with "Nazi", and with "communist", which is the code word for "Cold-War era Russia". Socialism is a political system that can be corrupted and abused just like capitalism, our current system. What people don't realize, however, is that socialism is not an inherently evil idea.

In fact, in a way, we've already had a "socialist" healthcare system this whole time. If you go to the ER because you need treatment, they cannot turn you away if they accept Medicare or Medicaid, even if you have no insurance or cannot pay. The Affordable Care Act is actually a step *away* from socialism, in that it requires everyone to take responsibility for their own healthcare costs by purcahsing insurance, or paying a penalty/tax to help cover those expenses. Now, if you wanted to get *more* socialist, then we could have government run, single-payer healthcare, where everyone is guaranteed coverage, and the costs of the coverage are included in our federal tax bill in some way. The only way our system could get less socialist would be if we allowed all hospitals to turn people away if they couldn't provide proof of coverage or a big wad of cash to cover the cost of their care. Forget your insurance card, and they can let you die in the lobby. Now, I don't want that system.

great day for only 30% of people

If you are looking for a solid future investment, look at building a Burka factory. Our American Citizens that are female will have only one option. Either submit and wear Burkas or die.

America is now a Socialist/Muslim country on the verge of exploding.

It's now not know. Your mind has been dictated to, but, this country is NOT a dictatorship! Edward-1037189

I suppose that you prefer "Christian Biblical Law" to "Sharia Law"? I see no difference. The Evangelical Christians on the right would prefer that they get a permanent stranglehold on the government (much like a dictatorship) so that they can enact laws that adhere to their prefered moral compass.

Beyond that, "socialism" is not the obscene word that you keep trying to use it as. As the put it in The Princess Bride, "That word you keep saying; I do not think it means what you think it means." Studies show that people in socialist countries tend to be happier in their lives. In fact, Denmark and Sweden, two of the most socialist countries in the world, with two of the highest income tax rates in the world, have citizens that consistently self-report as two of the happiest populations in the world.

Don't knock it until you've tried it.

Kevin, read some of the unbiased literature out there about who's doing what. Obama has consistently tried to do good things for this country, but the republicans only "fix" is to defeat him. I watched the entire repub debates and the only guy that made any sense whatsoever was Ron Paul. If you want the corporations to have even more freedom and even less taxes, go ahead and vote for Romney. I say 99% of us are all in the same boat, I don't want one of the multi-millionaires that got there by out-sourcing our jobs to be running my country.

Indeed, I'm amazed at how the Republicans can do everything they can to break everything Obama is trying to do, and then blame him when nothing works the way it should, and they get the the public to believe that. It's been like this for years; the Republicans bend over backwards to make sure that everything the government does is so watered down or without teeth that it basically means nothing, and then run on the platform that government can't do anything right.

I liken it to working for a car company, and working hard to design the worst car possible, and then going to the public and saying, "See, I told you that we make crappy cars".

Government is broken because Republican's work very hard to make it that way, and then get elected in to make government smaller because it can't do anything right. They have the only job where you get celebrated for fouling everything up, and you keep getting sent back to foul it up more.

Not true according to reports I hear. Court upheld constitutionality of 'mandate' portion under the taxability provisions BUT it's reported there are no penalties for not paying a tax if levied - thus, no enforcability. So, likely emergency rooms will still support those who feel they'll never get sick or be injured - even if someone pushes them onto the subway tracks!

Latinos keep good health? Not in Northern VA where they are constantly in the ER with no papers 'no speaka english' when it comes time to discuss who will pay and how, and never paying their bills when they come due. I can tell you this from the experience of 5 years of work in ER admitting in two different hospitals.

The "socialist" argument again. I'll direct you to my post above for a rebuttal, but let me summate in case you don't want to go back. We already have a socialist medical system. If you go to the ER, you get treated, and if you can't or don't pay, that cost is shifted to the paying public. This act forces personal responsibility, making that system *less* socialist. To get more socialist, we need single-payer.

I had the option to either pay for the company offered insurance or go with out, I chose to go with out. Had a serious diving accident in which I blew out my eye socket. I looked like Frankenstien afterwards. I was offered to be transfered to a public hospital or stay and pay for it myself. I declined because I wanted quality care of the hospital I was in. So $14,000 later I am working two jobs and sacrificing the bar scene and other fun stuff my peers were enjoying to meet my financial obligations. Yeah, their are a lot of vampires that suck off of the gov't welfare. But I am not one of them. And as aNavy Vet, I have a problem with the US Constitution being disregarded to meet political agenda. Being forced to buy something I do not want takes away my freedom of self determination...I do not care what waiste of words they use to justify it otherwise. "When in the course of human events..."

Jon, unfortunately, you are the exception rather than the rule. If people without health insurance covered their medical expenses like that, then we wouldn't be in this situation in the first place. Unfortunately, we cannot rely on people to take care of their responsibilities on their own as a general rule. How many people would pay their taxes if there was no penalty for not paying them? How many people would buy auto insurance if they weren't forced to under threat of fines and other penalties? Instead, we must compel them to be responsible with legislation.

Is that your idea of government? Use of threats to achieve your goals. Sounds more like the KGB to me. Maybe you're too young to understand that. Why do we even bother to have a constitution then if the so called rights it guarantees can be superseded by those who disagree with it? Even though you totally avoided any constitutionality of the subject. But then to a socialist, the US constitution is an obstruction to their goals.