Archived Messages From the President
August 20th, 2015
The Supreme Court today ruled that subsidies granted under the Affordable Care Act (often called Obamacare) are not dependent on whether the insurance was obtained from a state based exchange or the Federal exchange. President Obama praised it as a victory for America; former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee called the King v. Burwell decision “an out-of-control act of judicial tyranny.”
It was a long shot from the beginning to think that the Supreme Court had the fortitude to overturn Obamacare on the strength of four words, “established by the state”, in a 900 page law. The 6 to 3 decision indicated that the Supreme Court believed that the intent of the law was not to grant subsidies on the basis of where the coverage was obtained. Many believe that it wasn’t the purview of the court to discern intent but to analyze and decide on the black letter content of the law. The fact of the matter is – the law continues as implemented. So . . . what does this mean for older Americans?
It means that hundreds of billions of dollars is still going to be extracted from Medicare to pay for Obamacare. It means that doctors will reduce the number of, or stop altogether taking, Medicare patients. It means that options for care will continue to shrink and co-pays and co-insurance costs will continue to increase. It means that all the reasons that RetireSafe opposed Obamacare continue on unabated.
RetireSafe will continue to support efforts to repeal Obamacare, it seems that the only approach now is through Congress and the election of leaders who will stop this government funded takeover of healthcare. Until that happens we will continue to work toward reducing the severity of the laws impact on you. We will fight for access, work toward eliminating the bureaucratic, unelected, Medicare cutting, IPAB panel and fight to reduce the taxes and regulations that threaten to separate you from your doctor.
We will still periodically ask for your help to answer surveys, give your opinions, write to your local papers and contact your Representatives in Congress. These are the ways you can help fight for preserving and even broadening your healthcare choices, preserving access and maintaining the safety and affordability of your healthcare. We can’t do this without your help. Don’t be discouraged, we may have lost a battle but we can still win the war.