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It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity.
The famous quote from Dicken's'
A Tale of Two Cities seems more and more apropos today in America. And while former NC Senator John Edwards has been mostly discredited since his sexual escapade and legal problems, his tale of Two Americas is becoming more relevant each year that passes.
While the Obama Administration and particularly President Obama himself celebrate yesterday's Supreme Court ruling, those in Red states like North Carolina can be excused for having mixed feelings. Particulary those in states like NC who are still unnable to access healthcare under the ACA, and where the leaders refuse to expand Medicaid to cover the poor and uninsured.
Governor Pat McCrory of North Carolina
The
Supreme Court on Thursday upheld a pillar of the Affordable Care Act, rescuing for the second time the most ambitious social program in nearly 50 years and ensuring that the law’s ultimate fate will be in the hands of the political process.
Gov. Pat McCrory (R-NC) said Thursday there are many more questions to be answered before he would move for a Medicaid expansion that would add more residents to the government insurance plan.
McCrory had expressed an interest in expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act, but had said earlier this year that, until the U.S. Supreme Court case was resolved, it would not make sense to advance a plan.
Answering questions after the Supreme Court ruling on Thursday, McCrory, a Republican, said the issue needs more study and an analysis of data from states that have expanded Medicaid. (Source: Raleigh News and Observer)
The U.S. Supreme Court decided that those who are receiving federal subsidies can continue to do so regardless of their state’s plan. Reaction is understandably mixed.
The Kaiser Family Foundation estimates that federal subsidies helped nearly 460,000 North Carolina residents buy coverage. A ruling against the subsidies in the King v. Burwell case could have caused the law many call Obamacare to crumble.http://kff.org/...
The practical effect of the Supreme Court’s 6-3 ruling in King v.Burwell is clear: It allows federal subsidies to continue to be provided to more than 6 million people and calms the political waters surrounding the Affordable Care Act, allowing implementation to continue in a more certain and predictable environment for the health-care industry, states, and consumers.
The CDC has reported the most rapid decline in uninsured Americans since the survey began in 1997. The uninsured rate among adults under 65 fell from 20.4% in 2013 to 16.3% in 2014. The uninsured rate among adults 19-25 fell from 31.3% to 26.9% in 2014. Source: Obamacare Facts
The ACA will, however, continue to be an issue in the run-up to the 2016 elections. Republicans in particular are likely to use the issue to rev up their base in hopes of increasing turnout in an election many think will hinge more on turnout than on efforts to move the increasingly small number of true independents.
Congresswoman Renee Ellmers (R-NC2) said that Supreme Court decision further institutionalizes a fundamentally flawed and damaged
health care law.
Renee Ellmers told WRAL TV: “It is disappointing to see the Supreme Court prop up this floundering law yet again. Having served as a nurse and cared for the sick, I understand how vital it is that every American has access to affordable and high-quality healthcare. However, Obamacare has shown us time and time again –at the public’s expense—that its policy is inadequate and unaffordable for the American people.”
Polls taken before Thursday's ruling suggested that most Americans wanted the court to uphold the subsidies. In an April Associated Press-GfK poll,
56 percent preferred that the court rule in favor of the Obama administration, while 39 percent wanted the court to rule against the federal government.
However, all of NC's Republican top leaders in Congress and in the state legislature remain opposed to all or parts of the Affordable Care Act, which they call disparingly "Obamacare." As Democrat Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) said though, as more and more people receive coverage under the ACA who previously could not buy health insurance, support by the public will continue to increase.