Off Topic Board

So what does this mean to the average person who works and has insurance coverage thru their jobs.

All I know is the costs of insuring my family keeps skyrocketing and the medical care I get is getting worse. It seems harder and harder to get timely appointments with my PCP.

I still don't know how Roberts justified it being a tax when clearly the intent was a penalty not a tax and was never put out as a tax. You would think that he would have said neigh to the penalty and say write up a bill with a defined tax.

Either way (pass or no pass) the middle class is still screwed in this, as insurance costs continue to climb at extreme rates and I don't see that stopping. My job can't continue to eat the increased cost and i can't afford to pay any more out of pocket. It truly is a no win situation.

One thing you will likely see pretty soon, is more companies dropping coverage for their employees. The costs of penalties will likely be incorporated into the pricing of goods and services, but the burden of dealing with health care, and the knowledge the law provides the subsidized coverage, will encourage businesses to drop coverage. They may wait until November/January, to see how the election goes, but many businesses have, no doubt, been waiting to see how the SCOTUS decision went.

I think what Romney shoud really drive home is that the center piece of the Presidents first term was something he campaigned against in the primaries...that and all the other lies (250k, gitmo, etc...)

that is why we needed this, companies have been cutting coverage for years. We can not count on that model.

Yeah, it is often a good idea to simplify trips like yours, and make less stops. Of course, you miss out on some good stuff. I can assure you, the South of France is a place you want to visit. I believe it is really more true to France, VERY different than Paris, and the food is incredible. But it sounds like you made a good call for what you were doing. You will definitely have to let us know a little bit about your time in Barcelona.

It will put his competition in a great place to lure away great talent by offering great coverage.

The tapas (cheap, delicious, octopus for breakfast every morning), the beaches, the Catalan culture (I had no idea of the Catalunya/Spain rift), the Orwell/Hemingway/Picasso stuff, the laid back culture. I wasn't a fan of Gaudi's work but I went around La Sagrada Familia and spent part of a few days at Guell Park. There were some awesome clubs, but in all honesty I'm more of a bar/conversation guy. I was there during a huge F1 race, so that was cool.

Barcelona was a seriously awesome place.

true, in my case I'll just go over to wifes policy. But it does change things. And right now it's the employers market. You should see the stack of qualified people that send me resumes that get the not interested Form Letter.

FWIW, I just chatted with a friend who clerks for one of the justices. She said she has known about the decision for months...

I wonder what the odds were for Roberts being the swing vote...a gazillion to one?

you have to give the court credit, they can keep a secret.

When Scalia lashed out at Obama in the Arizona Immigration ruling I actually got secretly optimistic, he couldn't contain his anger.

I have to say, that I agree with the way that Roberts ruled. IF it is looked at as a tax, then it is constitutional under congress' authority to levy taxes. However, the Obama administration and congressional Democrats have gone out of their way to ensure the American public that this is not a tax.

So which is it? In order to claim this as a victory, Obama needs to admit that he has raised taxes on the middle class.

Also, since this was not classified as a tax, does this ruling require congress to revisit the law ans classify it as a tax? I do not think they have the political capital to get it passed as a tax (nor, do I think it EVER would have passed if it was classified as a tax). I am curious as to what the ramifications of the decision are.

In the end, people do not like the mandate, but do like some of the provisions in the law. The prudent thing to do is for the GOP to propose a new law that replaces this one that includes the provisions that people like, remove the mandate and improve the law by lifting the restrictions on interstate competition and including tort reform. That would be a BIG win for the GOP.

PS -- for those that claimed that non-commerce was open for regulation under the commerce clause, this decision proves you wrong...however, it opens a loophole that allows congress to tax you for non-commerce. How would liberals feel if congress passed a law that requires everyone to own a gun in order to make the country safer, or you will be fined? This decision opens up a VERY dangerous and slippery slope.

You are missing the point. Congress doesn't need to do anything to keep Obamacare. SCOTUS is now part of the Legislative process.

Obama's win is not so much of a win as a cause for the GOP.

Politically, I do not know that Obama feels really all that good that his greatest achievement has been labeled as one of the largest tax increases in US history by the SCOTUS.