Thursday from the Rose Garden, President Barack Obama reacted to the Supreme Court upholding a key provision of ObamaCare and said, “After multiple challenges before the Supreme Court, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay.”
President Obama said, “Five years ago after nearly a century of talk, decades of trying, a year of bipartisan debate, we finally declared that in America health care is not a privilege for a few but a right for all. Over those five years as we worked to implement the Affordable Care Act, there have been successes and setbacks. The setbacks I remember clearly. But as the dust has settled, there can be no doubt that this law is working. It has changed, and in some cases saved American lives. It set this country on a smarter, stronger course. And today after more than 50 votes in congress to repeal or weaken this law, after a presidential election based in part on preserving or repealing this law, after multiple challenges to this law before the Supreme Court, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay.”
“This morning the court upheld a critical part of this law, the part that’s made it easier for Americans to afford health insurance regardless of where you live. If the partisan challenge to this law would have succeeded, millions of Americans would have had thousands of dollars of tax credits taken from them. For many, insurance would have become unaffordable again. Many would have become uninsured again. ultimately, everyone’s premiums could have gone up. America would have gone backwards, and that’s not what we do. That’s not what America does. We move forward. So today is a victory for hard-working Americans all across this country whose lives will continue to become more secure in a changing economy because of this law.”
“If you’re a parent, you can keep your kids on your plan until they turn 26, something that has covered millions of young people so far. That’s because of this law. If you’re a senior or an American with a disability, this law gives you discounts on your prescriptions, something that has saved 9 million America an average of $1,600 so far. If you’re a woman, you can’t be charged more than anybody else, even if you have had cancer or your husband had heart disease or just because you’re a woman. Your insurer has to offer preventative services like mammograms. They can’t place annual or lifetime caps on your care because of this law. Because of this law and because of today’s decision, millions of Americans who I hear from every single day will continue to receive the tax credits that have given about 8 in 10 people who buy insurance on the new marketplaces the choice of a health care plan that costs less than $100 a month.”
“And when it comes to per-existing conditions, some day our grand kids will ask us if there was really a time when America discriminated against people who get sick because that is something this law has ended for good. That affects everybody with health insurance, not just folks who got insurance through the Affordable Care Act. All of America has protections it didn’t have before. As the law’s provisions have gradually taken effect, more than 16 million uninsured Americans have gained coverage so far. Nearly 1 in 3 Americans who was uninsured a few years ago is insured today. The uninsured rate in America is the lowest since we began to keep records, and that is something we can all be proud of.”
Follow Pam Key on Twitter @pamkeyNEN
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