The second day of arguments about the Affordable Care Act, also known by supporters and opponents as “Obamacare,” took place at the Supreme Court Tuesday.
Fox Business
that the justices seemed divided along ideological lines, with the liberal group of Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan, all indicated that they believed the mandate was valid under the U.S. Constitution.
Two conservatives, Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito, were vocal in their skepticism about the validity of the requirement, FoxBusiness said.
This leaves Chief Justice John Roberts and Anthony Kennedy in the position of having the potentially decisive votes (Justice Clarence Thomas is expected to vote against the signature piece of domestic legislation during the term of Barack Obama.)
Rachel Glickhouse of AS/COA had a
about why the verdict should matter to Latinos across the country:
Latinos are among the most vulnerable groups when it comes to health care in the United States. In 2010-before the law went into effect-around one-third of Latinos had no health insurance, and 39 percent of Hispanic children lacked coverage. The same year, one in six Latinos under the age of 65 had a pre-existing condition. Currently, over half of Latinos between the ages of 18 and 44 do not have a doctor. Moreover, the recent economic crisis took a toll on Hispanics with coverage. An October 2011 survey of Latino voters found that over the past two years, 28 percent lost their health insurance, and 17 percent currently lack coverage. Over half of Latinos reported a rise in health-care costs last year.
We
in Illinois, finding the same trend, but with a twist.
In all, Latinos had the lowest rate of insurance, with 73 percent, compared with 80 percent of black people, 86 percent of Asians and 91 percent of whites, we found.
But the numbers changed when we factored in citizenship.
Among citizens, black people had the lowest rate of insurance, with 81 percent. Latinos had the second-lowest with 86 percent. White and Asian citizens were insured at 92 and 90 percent, respectively.
These numbers suggest that African-Americans in Illinois also have a particular stake in the outcome of the case, which is expected to be announced in June, right as the presidential campaign is heating up.
People are not waiting until then to share their opinions, as Twitter and Facebook were filled with information and commentary about the controversial law.
Here’s what Carlos Alvarez-Aranyos had to say:
“So many people are missing the point:
On the health care bill, the question isn’t whether the government can “force you to buy something,” but whether they can make you take responsibility for your costs upon society.
Health care costs are “socialized” by the law requiring hospitals to treat everyone who walks in the door. Question is how we lower them.
Everyone seems to be forgetting one simple fact: The government already forces us to buy something – namely medical care for the uninsured.
Instead of a hidden tax on the insured to pay for the uninsured, this law created a visible tax on those that don’t assume responsibility.
After all, insurance isn’t a “product you buy,” it’s the way society shares the burden for keeping people healthy: It doesn’t apportion care, it apportions risk – you pay for what you will consume. Buying it is about taking responsibility for yourself.
It is very sad that the arguments for the health care bill are better on Twitter than they were at the Supreme Court.”
We’ll continue to follow this issue and want to hear your opinions, too.
