Tag Archives: U.S. Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court Ruling on ACA – What it Means

As many people throughout the United States and internationally anxiously awaited the U.S. Supreme Court to issue its ruling on the Affordable Care Act, the Court issued its ruling this morning to uphold the mandate. But the Court used a very different legal basis than argued; it’s a tax and Congress has the authority to tax. This makes the next few months clear. Republicans now have a very specific target – the mandate is a tax and politically being anti/lower tax has always been a good and often winning strategy for Republicans. So look for the GOP to hit the tax issue hard in the months leading up to the November U.S. election. They will tie the mandate tax (and other taxes in the law) to the poor economy and slow job growth. And they will then say the only way to get the economy back on its feet is by electing a new president and GOP majorities in the House and Senate and then they will get rid of these taxes. This will energize the base. Calling for lower taxes always does.

Posted on Thursday, June 28th, 2012 By Bill Pierce
Catogories Health Policy | Also tagged ACA, health care act, majority, mandate, Medicaid, SCOTUS, states, Supreme Court, tax | Leave a comment

SCOTUS Takes Up Health Care Law

Earlier today, the Supreme Court of the United States announced that it would take up the case of the constitutionality (among other issues) of President Obama’s health care law. This will likely be not only the case of the year, but also perhaps the most important case in decades. Oral arguments are expected to be heard sometime this spring, and a decision is possible in late June – right as the 2012 presidential campaign really starts to heat up. Just like the political and legislative path of the law, the decision to hear this case has a few interesting twists and turns. The basic case taken up by the Supreme Court is the Florida-based lawsuit brought by 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). But the Court also gave itself an out, if it chooses. One of the issues it wants argued for and against is the Anti-Injunction Act, which two lower courts have used to dismiss cases against the law.

Posted on Monday, November 14th, 2011 By Bill Pierce
Catogories Health Policy | Also tagged 2012, Anti-Injunction Act, Bill Pierce, Health Care, health care law, Health Policy, Medicaid expansion, NFIB, SCOTUS | Leave a comment

Florida Judge Grants Stay, But With Caveats

In a thought-provoking and tightly-written decision, Vinson Stay Order, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson granted the Obama Administration a stay of his previous decision that ruled the health care law unconstitutional. But in doing so, the Judge neither backed off his ruling nor granted the Administration much wiggle room.