Even though it's been a few hours now, I'm guessing you're still pinching yourself to make sure you're not dreaming. But yes, it happened. At 10:07 this morning, the conservative Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, John Roberts, not only joined with the liberal justices to completely uphold almost every single part of the Obama health care law, he wrote the majority opinion himself! In fact, he went even further. When he realized that the government had poorly made its constitutional case to the court, he went searching for a clause in their argument and the Constitution that would give him the justification he needed to back the administration and to ensure that his decision would hold up legally. In other words, even though he is on the opposite side of the political fence, he wrote the Dems' paper for them. Stunning.
The other four justices? They didn't just vote to overturn the individual mandate part of the law, they all voted to kill the entire Act.
The media is already spending much time talking about the mandate being the "centerpiece of the law," but the real news is that if you ever have a pre-existing condition, you cannot now be denied insurance. If you are a young adult without health insurance, you can now stay on your parents' plan until age 26. The insurance company can no longer say there is a lifetime cap to your coverage. The insurance companies are now required to spend 85 cents out of every dollar they take in on actual reimbursement for your health care -- not on profit or "administrative costs" (some companies have been taking over a 30 percent cut; Medicare's total percentage of their budget for administrative costs: 2 percent).
I know that our side is not used to victories and so we're not quite sure how to respond when we get one out of the blue. For some of us, the first inclination is to point out just how weak the Obama law actually is, that it doesn't provide true universal health care (26 million will STILL be uninsured), and that it leaves control of the system in the hands of the vultures, otherwise known as the health insurance companies. The individual mandate was a huge gift to the private insurance companies, guaranteeing them billions more from millions of new customers. And many of the key provisions of this law don't even take effect until 2014 -- and if the Republicans win in November, you can kiss all of that goodbye.
So, yes, the bill is highly flawed and somewhat wrong-headed -- but what it IS is a huge step in the right direction. And today's court decision cements that. The right-wing knows this and they are probably unraveling in some not-so-pretty ways right now. And that's why today is a great day. The Right has been smacked down by one of their own! They know what we all know -- that the path of history has been, and will continue to move toward the basic human right that all people are entitled to see a doctor and NOT have to worry about losing their home because they can't afford to pay the medical bills. Those days are over, or will be soon, and that is where civilization is headed. It's not headed back to the days of Oliver Twist. Today's victory is momentum, it's forward motion, and we WILL have true universal health care in this country in the not too distant future.
So take some time tonight to celebrate; this is a victory for the people. Actually, more than a victory, it is a mandate that all of us must now make sure that a second-term Obama continues to move the ball down the field, toward a system like they have in every other First World country on the planet. He simply has to improve Medicare and then expand it to every citizen in the country. The countries that do this, their people live an average of two to four years longer than we do. Is there a reason anyone doesn't want an extra four years of their lives? Or that our babies would have a better chance of surviving their first year like they do in the 48 countries that have a better infant mortality rate than we do? Exactly who is opposed to this? You'd have to be a bit... crazy.
And that, I've come to believe, is the true divide in this country. It's not blue state vs. red state, liberal vs. conservative, Democrat vs. Republican. The split we have in America can be boiled down in its simplest form to this: On one side are the people who believe Adam and Eve rode on dinosaurs 6,000 years ago -- and then there's everyone else. On that first side are the people who've been fed a diet of fear and lies and hate. And who is feeding them? The 1%. The richest people in the country, the ones who aren't done with us yet because they still don't have enough wealth, have done their best to dumb down the population through destroying our educational system and using media to provide them with a vastly distorted sense of reality. The rich's only obstacle is that they only hold 1% of the votes in the country. So they have to try to get a slim majority of Americans to vote their way. And fear, plus keeping them stupid, usually works.
So that's the battle ahead of us: Organizing and mobilizing the majority of Americans to push for true universal health care, Medicare for All. At one time, back in Illinois, that was the position held by Barack Obama. He will not make this happen on his own. He will only be able to do it when the mass of American people rise up and demand it. Demand it. Why not start tonight?
Five years ago this week, my health care documentary, Sicko, opened in theaters across the country. I have spent the better part of the decade on this issue, and for me, personally, fully aware of the current law's limitations, I am very happy with today's news -- not because of its specifics or nuances, but because it is a road sign, and that sign points in the correct, humane and sane direction. THAT makes this a great day.
P.S. To learn more and get involved in the campaign for real universal health care -- to complete the job that's been started -- get in touch with National Nurses United and Physicians for a National Health Program.
Follow Michael Moore on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MMFlint
Another person posted: "The individual mandate is worth hundreds of billions of dollars to the insurance companies and there is absolutley no chance they will allow their puppets in government (of either party) to take that kind of money out of their pockets."
I agree with this comment, Michael. With EVEN MORE cash flow, how much more powerful do you think Insurance Co's will become? The incestuous, fiduciary relationship between Government & Business is completely out of anyone's control right now! What happens when INS COs get EVEN MORE MONEY?? Will the INS COs allow the transition to Univeral Medicare - as long as THEY get paid to administer it?
If you want to tackle OUR BIGGEST PROBLEM, Michael: analysis & recommendations addressing HOW to ELIMINATE profitability from Government Prostitution to BIG BIZ. I'm serious.
the FAT GUY is gonna need more CARE than the healthy guy......
soon only the wealthy will get GOOD quality healthcare in a two class systme barry is setting up......
I've decided neither party can be trusted. Corrupt.
I don't trust Corporations; don't trust Repubs; don't trust Dems......it's a mess.
Worthy every penny it cost to read it.
It simply takes having the votes in Congress (all that is needed to amend this now filibuster-proof bill, is one majority Senate vote after it's delivery by a Dem-controlled House), Obama's signature and the demand of the people for universal care.
Want universal health care? Reelect Obama, send him the votes in Congress and then demand demand demand!!! But first vote vote vote!!!
We're screwed. This is merely a giant puzzled - deployed by Politicians + the Military + Corp Amerika: to make everyone stop thinking about.....Joblessness. Unemployment. The Electric Bill. Rent. Car Payment...........etc......
Also, I'd like to know what % of every tax dollar the government takes in goes to administrative costs vs. actual services?
Michael, get a grip. While I agree with the part of the "using media" portion of this claim, I completely disagree with the assertion that the "richest people of the country" have "dumb[ed] down the population through destroying our educational system". The richest people have had no part of that travesty. There are many hands who are responsible for destroying our education system, but most of the fault lies with the American people themselves. Because they have largely chosen to coddle their children, not requiring them to achieve in order to be rewarded, more worried about their children's self-esteem than their skill levels. Demanding that school administrations make it easy for their children to get grades that will help them get into college. Too many parents are more worried that their children have the latest clothes, latest electronic toys, best parties, and elaborate celebrations over routine progress during the course of their K-12 school years, that they buy into the professional education experts' prescription of touting "esteem building" over skills building...
I think you called that right. Why else would someone blame the victims instead of the man in the suit holding the smoking gun?
Bellalina,
I am not "one of them". I grew up in the lower middle class, worked my way through college with some help from Social Security death benefits from my father's early demise (I am strong supporter of Social Security), got an MBA thinking I wanted to be corporate titan, but bolted to academia with the intent of working to level the playing field of information about my career field (finance, which is a nest of sleaze where the dominant game is to take advantage of the misinformed and financially gullible). I was a college professor for seven years but became disillusioned about the politics of grade inflation at the college level. I have seen how school administrators are more concerned with making sure the money flows through organizations with the minimum of grief from students by implicitly punishing instructors who try to keep the educational standards from degrading. Here is an example of a discussion of this latter issue.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/education/edlife/failure-is-not-an-option.html?pagewanted=all
A key issue is that too many students are not prepared for college when they enter, and the college courses must be moderated to the level of their preparedness in order to keep them from dropping out or failing.
http://www.educationnews.org/ednews_today/160411.html
Nu-Uh!
There was NO chance the Supreme Court was going to strike down the health care law and there is NO!!! chance it will get repealed regardless of who wins in November.
Why? Money, pure and simple. The individual mandate is worth hundreds of billions of dollars to the insurance companies and there is absolutley no chance they will allow their puppets in government (of either party) to take that kind of money out of their pockets.
Some good things may have come from the SCOTUS ruling but the main victory here is that the private insurance comapnies golden goose is alive and well and will remain so for a very long time.
Ok - that's fine - as long as We the Workers get some FREAKIN' decent JOBS from these B#s.t#rds! (I work for one; I know - they're RUTHLESS!)
This is why I keep coming back to a nagging doubt/angst/fear/anger......I suspect Obama is a 'Centist Corporatist Repub', disguising himself as a Democrat.