Court keeps upcoming health care decision secret

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By JESSE J. HOLLAND

WASHINGTON (AP) - It's the biggest secret in a city known for not keeping them.

The nine Supreme Court justices and more than three dozen other people have kept quiet for more than two months about how the high court is going to rule on the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

This is information that could move markets, turn economies and greatly affect this fall's national elections, including the presidential contest between Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney. But unlike the Congress and the executive branch, which seem to leak information willy-nilly, the Supreme Court, from the chief justice down to the lowliest clerk, appears to truly value silence when it comes to upcoming court opinions, big and small.

No one talks, and that's the way they like it.

FULL story at link.



Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20120624/D9VJG2C01.html

[joshdawg]

1. I hope I'll be wrong but,

the ACA will be thrown out by a vote along party lines, to wit: five conservative justices against four liberals.

The righties care nothing about the constitutionality of this Act, but they do care about who pads their pocketbooks and their political party.

[kdmorris]

2. Maybe

Health Insurance companies liked that part of the law. They pad plenty of political party pocket books. I imagine that the 5 conservative judges are having a really hard time right now - warring money between health insurance companies and other loyalties.

If it's a 5-4 split, then we know that the health insurance companies didn't win.

[dotymed]

3. Under the ACA, the insurance companies

must spend at least 80% of "their" premiums on actual health care for the insured. I am sure that pisses them off. No discrimination based on pre-existing conditions, keeping children on their families insurance until they are 26 y.o., etc.
I think that these and other mandates will make the insurance companies oppose the ACA even though they are getting a much larger pool of customers. The new customers will not be as profitable.
No, America should not be run as a business but we all know that we are "America Inc." The other developed nations would never stand for this, but we have been so propagandized, so used to being screwed, that the majority of Americans do not want the ACA.
It is ironic that "we" have installed so many "puppet regimes" and we have become the largest (and most complacent) one...

[Faygo Kid]

4. The fix was in the day John Roberts became chief justice.

5-4, the whole thing will be overturned.

Those who think Anthony Kennedy is somehow a "swing" vote are sadly misinformed. He's a hard core right winger, just not as much in the pocket of the Kochs as Roberts, Alito, Scalia and Thomas.

[joshdawg]

12. Sad to say,

but I think you are correct. Kennedy has very rarely gone with the Liberal side of the court.

[harun]

19. I hear a lot of people say this but is "the whole thing" even on the table?

I thought they were just looking at a few parts of the law? Like they could strike down the mandate?

[Raster]

5. No matter how the SCOTUS rules, the health care debate is FAR from over.

There are no better examples of gross financial inequity and national hypocrisy than that of American health care. The quality of your health care is directly tied to your - or your employer's - financial condition, and not based on necessity as it should be.

[Swede Atlanta]

7. Here, here......

At first I thought the penalty for not having health care insurance was going to be a minimum amount, e.g. $300.00 per year. I wasn't clear on whether you had to show proof of insurance or not (similar to auto insurance where you either have to submit evidence of coverage or that is provided to the state). But I thought it would be like any other tax provision - if you don't pay you are subject to collections, liens and potential imprisonment.

What I have now learned is the law specifically says the government cannot enforce collection of the "fee/penalty". They cannot place liens, garnishments, etc. (normal for other tax offenses) nor can this ever result in any kind of imprisonment.

If the law is overturned in its entirety I think the President and the Democrats need to pepper the airwaves, print media, etc. with the facts of what the HCA was and wasn't. They did a piss poor job of this over the past couple of years. This was a law that Americans should be overwhelmingly in favor of. Instead polling suggests most oppose it. They don't oppose the real law - they oppose what they have been told is in the law.

If this fails then the only other option is a public option where you and/or your employer pay into a government-run insurance program just like Social Security and Medicare. This is something the righties are absolutely opposed to because it will kill (no pun intended) opportunities for making profit off of people's health.

[Raster]

8. I am so freakin' tired of hearing over and over again that the Dems did a poor job getting this...

...health care message out, which is entirely correct. If the messengers we have aren't up to snuff, then high time to replace them. We have the high ground on this issue. There is one reason and one reason only that each and every American does not have access to quality, affordable heath care: GREED!

[BenzoDia]

11. That's a good point about enforcement of the Individual Responsibility requirement

Since we're not really being "forced" to buy health insurance, the Supreme Court should absolutely uphold the law in it's entirety. I can't see a real argument against if there's no real consequences.

We'll see. Fingers crossed.

[lovuian]

6. if the Supreme court destroys Obama Care then America...the issue will comeback

will start over and produce the universal coverage

the United States can't continue with the inflation rates of 10% to 20% in medical bills for Americans
in the middle of a Depression

there is only so much in America's budget and Americans pockets

the reason we are not competitive with other countries and we have a higher infant mortality rate than other countries
is that poor women are not getting good prenatal care and supportive care afterward

America's medical system is going down the tubes
and the Supreme Court judges are part of the system

which is deteriorating

We just go back and start again
with a Democratic House and Democratic Senate and a Democratic President

[flamingdem]

9. Let's see just how unconscionable they really are

nt

[AnotherMcIntosh]

10. What are the odds that they are buying or shorting health-care insurance company stock?

If anyone actually knows which way that the decision is going to go, they could make a lot of money.

The mandate was a Republican idea. Why assume that the mandate will be thrown out?

[tawadi]

13. When will we know?

The week before the election?

[PoliticAverse]

14. This is the last week they are scheduled to be in session so an announcement is expected this week.

[PoliticAverse]

18. Followup: Thursday was added as a opinion announcement day -that's when healthcare will be announced

[YOHABLO]

15. Go Ahead Scotus Shoot It Down ..

Because if they do, the people of this Nation, the one's with any rationality left and common sense, shall and should hit the streets .. and shout so loud with our voices and our votes ... that we are fed up. Health care is a human right ... and not for profit. Oh, you might say, in a perfect world? You betcha.

[AJTheMan]

16. I think it was ED Shultz who said he was in favor of repealing the individual mandate

Because then we could try to get the single payer instead.

[lib2DaBone]

17. Mr. Obama should have gone with single payer....or even Medicare at 50...

...instead he threw us under the bus and let Max Baucus and the Big Insurance companies write the law.. then he rubber stamped it.

Very sloppy...