Make Obamacare available

Issue 26, Obamacare, opinions, Poonam Narewatt, Opinion - By Sean Bahar on Thursday, April 19, 2012 - 04:11

As the healthcare debate has moved from Congress to the Supreme Court, it has created renewed debate and outrage. The focus has moved from the content of the bill—which is known as both “Patient and Protection and Affordable Care Act” and, more informally, as Obamacare—to the opinions of the Supreme Court Justices.

One would assume that the debate in the Supreme Court would be over the content and its legality; however, the debate is quickly becoming an expression of ideological divides within the Court, which have become a microcosm for both Congress and the American public.
The substance and purpose of the bill is being blown out of proportion by the ridiculous comments made by the Justices. For instance, Justice Antony Scalia’s argument that if the federal government can make people buy healthcare then they can also force them to eat broccoli—the parallel being that both help sustain a healthier lifestyle. Absurd comments such as these have shaped the debate in the Supreme Court, at least from the perspective of the media.

But such remarks should be taken with a grain of salt; the true thoughts of the Justices can only be discovered in their opinions. What the nation is witnessing in the oral arguments seems to be purely rhetoric by the Justices on behalf of the party that best aligns with their ideology.
Both the media and the Court are overlooking the features of the bill that should be the focus on. If more attention was paid to the substance, the oral debates could take a serious turn for the better.

According to Court transcripts, Chief Justice John Roberts was unaware of the fact that in the bill there are different insurance packages that would be distributed according to a person’s health and financial situation. So not only is there a lack of logic as we saw with the broccoli remark but there is also a lack of knowledge about the very bill that they are supposed to make legal judgments about.

Americans have gone long enough without adequate healthcare and Obamacare is a much better alternative to the corporate greed that shapes the current healthcare system in America.
Aside from the corporate greed, there are serious issues in the health world that have to do with accountability, overcrowded emergency rooms, and the efficiency in which medical services are provided. What is worse is that a lower standard of living is forced upon Americans that do not have or cannot afford healthcare. Although Americans will still be paying for healthcare, their money will be used for medicinal purposes rather than covering administrative costs, which is where a number of insurance companies send client monies today.

The way in which the Supreme Court has handled the oral debates is disappointing and highlights how rigid ideological divides have become in America, but there is hope that they will read the bill thoroughly and take the subject matter more seriously when it is time for them to write their Opinions. Hopefully, they will recognize that Obamacare is something that Americans need, regardless of ideology.