Federal judge rules lawsuit against Obamacare can go to trial

PENSACOLA, Fla. — Crucial pieces of a lawsuit challenging the Obama administration's health care overhaul can go to trial, with a judge ruling Thursday he wants to hear more arguments over whether it's constitutional to force citizens to buy health insurance.

In a written ruling, U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson said it also needs to be decided whether it's constitutional to penalize people who do not buy insurance with taxes and to require states to expand their Medicaid programs.

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Vinson set a hearing for Dec. 16. The lawsuits will likely wind up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

"Obamacare"? Really?xaos

Good, maybe now the Supreme Court can shut these idiots up and tell them to get the hell out of the way of 20th century health policy, unless they still haven't gotten over the hangover from when they ruled on Citizens United.

I don't really see anything bad coming out of this. I don't think it would really change anything though.

I honestly do not understand the problem Americans have with changes to the Health system. Isn't it in everybody's best interest to have a fit and healthy workforce that can ultimately be more productive then a workforce that is not?

This is why I thank God every day that I am Australian ...

I wonder if the supreme court will have any guts to make the right decision.

Which is to remove the individual mandate. :)

I honestly do not understand the problem Americans have with changes to the Health system. Isn't it in everybody's best interest to have a fit and healthy workforce that can ultimately be more productive then a workforce that is not?

This is why I thank God every day that I am Australian ...

daqua_99

It's only the conservatives who are against it, but with good reason seeing as how they've never been wrong about this kind of stuff before...

I wonder if the supreme court will have any guts to make the right decision.

Which is to remove the individual mandate. :)

airshocker

I wonder if the supreme court will have any guts to make the right decision.

Which is to remove the individual mandate. :)

airshocker

As much as I hate it, it is necessary for everything to work. You can't force health insurance companies to accept everybody without everybody needing health insurance.

"Obamacare"? Really?xaos

Well yes, under the health care reform bill, all primary care doctors and specialists are abolished, and instead all medical care is personally administered by Obama. I thought this was common knowledge.

I wonder if the supreme court will have any guts to make the right decision.

Which is to remove the individual mandate. :)

airshocker

If you remove the individual mandate, then you basically need to remove everything else, which puts us back where we started.

Good, maybe now the Supreme Court can shut these idiots up and tell them to get the hell out of the way of 20th century health policy, unless they still haven't gotten over the hangover from when they ruled on Citizens United.

Theokhoth

I seriously doubt the Roberts wing would rule in favor of the healthcare law.

[QUOTE="Theokhoth"]

Good, maybe now the Supreme Court can shut these idiots up and tell them to get the hell out of the way of 20th century health policy, unless they still haven't gotten over the hangover from when they ruled on Citizens United.

theone86

I seriously doubt the Roberts wing would rule in favor of the healthcare law.

Unfortunately this. This court values corporate rights over all others.

[QUOTE="airshocker"]

I wonder if the supreme court will have any guts to make the right decision.

Which is to remove the individual mandate. :)

GabuEx

If you remove the individual mandate, then you basically need to remove everything else, which puts us back where we started.

yup, which is why so many of us liberals pushed for that dreaded socialist medicare buy-in as opposed to this.

If they do remove it, I hope they keep it for children. If you have kids, they damn well better be able to go to the doctor.Theokhoth

I agree. The kids need to be the number one priority,

I wonder if the supreme court will have any guts to make the right decision.

Which is to remove the individual mandate. :)

airshocker

The individual mandate is needed to keep premiums from rising dramatically... the bill would be disasterous without it. But hey, if you want higher premiums, then get rid of the mandate.

As much as I hate it, it is necessary for everything to work. You can't force health insurance companies to accept everybody without everybody needing health insurance.

Former_Slacker

I don't value the bill we have too much right now, as you know.

I would rather see it all burn, but I'll settle for defunding it.

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

[QUOTE="airshocker"]

I wonder if the supreme court will have any guts to make the right decision.

Which is to remove the individual mandate. :)

theone86

If you remove the individual mandate, then you basically need to remove everything else, which puts us back where we started.

yup, which is why so many of us liberals pushed for that dreaded socialist medicare buy-in as opposed to this.

Well if this doesn't go through our already obscene health care costs would go through the roof. It will bankrupt us and hopefully the Robert's court realizes this as you really can't get a more conservative bill though.

The individual mandate is needed to keep premiums from rising dramatically... the bill would be disasterous without it. But hey, if you want higher premiums, then get rid of the mandate.

chessmaster1989

My premiums have already gone up. I was told that wasn't going to happen.

I'd rather the whole thing be gone and done again from scratch. This time without things being forced down my throat.

If you remove the individual mandate, then you basically need to remove everything else, which puts us back where we started.

GabuEx

Good. Maybe they'll actually read the next bill.

[QUOTE="chessmaster1989"]

The individual mandate is needed to keep premiums from rising dramatically... the bill would be disasterous without it. But hey, if you want higher premiums, then get rid of the mandate.

airshocker

My premiums have already gone up. I was told that wasn't going to happen.

Blame your insurance company, not the bill. They're just exploiting its passage to justify raising rates when the majority of the bill hasn't even gone into effect.

[QUOTE="chessmaster1989"]

The individual mandate is needed to keep premiums from rising dramatically... the bill would be disasterous without it. But hey, if you want higher premiums, then get rid of the mandate.

airshocker

My premiums have already gone up. I was told that wasn't going to happen.

I'd rather the whole thing be gone and done again from scratch. This time without things being forced down my throat.

Our system is out of control in terms of costs. If this bill is undone it'll cost us a trillion in the next decade and force more jobs out due to the extremely expensive price of care. Jobs that could be done here but go to other western countries with cheaper systems.

Blame your insurance company, not the bill. They're just exploiting its passage to justify raising rates when the majority of the bill hasn't even gone into effect.

chessmaster1989

It doesn't matter. It wouldn't have happened if the bill hadn't of gone through, or at least not in the amount I'm seeing deducted from my paycheck.

[QUOTE="airshocker"]

[QUOTE="chessmaster1989"]

The individual mandate is needed to keep premiums from rising dramatically... the bill would be disasterous without it. But hey, if you want higher premiums, then get rid of the mandate.

chessmaster1989

My premiums have already gone up. I was told that wasn't going to happen.

Blame your insurance company, not the bill. They're just exploiting its passage to justify raising rates when the majority of the bill hasn't even gone into effect.

This exactly, 2014 is when the major portions of it go into effect. Your insurance company is using the bill as an excuse to raise premiums.

Our system is out of control in terms of costs. If this bill is undone it'll cost us a trillion in the next decade and force more jobs out due to the extremely expensive price of care. Jobs that could be done here but go to other western countries with cheaper systems.

Former_Slacker

The bill kills jobs by forcing insane responsibilities onto small businesses. It's already a job-killer.

[QUOTE="chessmaster1989"]

Blame your insurance company, not the bill. They're just exploiting its passage to justify raising rates when the majority of the bill hasn't even gone into effect.

airshocker

It doesn't matter. It wouldn't have happened if the bill hadn't of gone through, or at least not in the amount I'm seeing deducted from my paycheck.

Proof that it wouldn't?

[QUOTE="Former_Slacker"]

Our system is out of control in terms of costs. If this bill is undone it'll cost us a trillion in the next decade and force more jobs out due to the extremely expensive price of care. Jobs that could be done here but go to other western countries with cheaper systems.

airshocker

The bill kills jobs by forcing insane responsibilities onto small businesses. It's already a job-killer.

Individual mandate, not employer.

[QUOTE="chessmaster1989"]

Blame your insurance company, not the bill. They're just exploiting its passage to justify raising rates when the majority of the bill hasn't even gone into effect.

airshocker

It doesn't matter. It wouldn't have happened if the bill hadn't of gone through, or at least not in the amount I'm seeing deducted from my paycheck.

Wait, so you're blaming the bill instead of the ones exploiting it to get more money from you? I'm sorry, that just doesn't make sense.

That's fine with me. If the federal government can sue Arizona for trying to protect their borders, I don't see why the federal government can't be sued by states for forcing an unwanted healthcare plan on its citizens.chathuranga

Good. I really want to see the individual mandate removed.

[QUOTE="airshocker"]

[QUOTE="chessmaster1989"]

The individual mandate is needed to keep premiums from rising dramatically... the bill would be disasterous without it. But hey, if you want higher premiums, then get rid of the mandate.

chessmaster1989

My premiums have already gone up. I was told that wasn't going to happen.

Blame your insurance company, not the bill. They're just exploiting its passage to justify raising rates when the majority of the bill hasn't even gone into effect.

Some provisions of it have...

[QUOTE="chessmaster1989"]

[QUOTE="airshocker"]

My premiums have already gone up. I was told that wasn't going to happen.

Former_Slacker

Blame your insurance company, not the bill. They're just exploiting its passage to justify raising rates when the majority of the bill hasn't even gone into effect.

This exactly, 2014 is when the major portions of it go into effect. Your insurance company is using the bill as an excuse to raise premiums.

They would raise premiums with or without the excuse if it appeared that doing so would increase profitability.

I wonder if the supreme court will have any guts to make the right decision.

Which is to remove the individual mandate. :)

airshocker

I predict a 6-3 vote...but I'm more happy to see a judge rule with law and the Constitution instead of activism + "legislating from the bench".:)

[QUOTE="airshocker"]

[QUOTE="Former_Slacker"]

Our system is out of control in terms of costs. If this bill is undone it'll cost us a trillion in the next decade and force more jobs out due to the extremely expensive price of care. Jobs that could be done here but go to other western countries with cheaper systems.

Former_Slacker

The bill kills jobs by forcing insane responsibilities onto small businesses. It's already a job-killer.

Individual mandate, not employer.

There are provisions in the bill forcing businesses with 50 or more employees to provide health insurance plans to all employees or face a penalty of $2,000 per employee.

Nobody should be forced to purchase anything. End of story.

[QUOTE="airshocker"]

I wonder if the supreme court will have any guts to make the right decision.

Which is to remove the individual mandate. :)

topsemag55

I predict a 6-3 vote...but I'm more happy to see a judge rule with law and the Constitution instead of activism + "legislating from the bench".:)

The conservatives are just as guilty of judicial activism as the liberals. See Citizens United vs. FEC.

Nobody should be forced to purchase anything. End of story.

Wasdie

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Nobody should be forced to purchase anything. End of story.

On3ShotOneKill

It isn't mandated on a Federal level however. That is done by the states, and the legal argument is that the Federal Government doesn't have the authority to do so. Furthermore, I think the analogy is inherently flawed since one can opt out of car insurance by not driving.

[QUOTE="GabuEx"]

If you remove the individual mandate, then you basically need to remove everything else, which puts us back where we started.

airshocker

Good. Maybe they'll actually read the next bill.

You don't care about such things as people being denied coverage on the basis of "pre-existing conditions"?

It is absolutely impossible to rectify that without either something everyone would cry "socialism" about, or an individual mandate (well, then again, people cry "socialism" about that, too).

Nobody should be forced to purchase anything. End of story.

Wasdie

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Nobody should be forced to purchase anything. End of story.

On3ShotOneKill

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Nobody should be forced to purchase anything. End of story.

testfactor888

[QUOTE="On3ShotOneKill"][QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Nobody should be forced to purchase anything. End of story.

It isn't mandated on a Federal level however. That is done by the states, and the legal argument is that the Federal Government doesn't have the authority to do so. Furthermore, I think the analogy is inherently flawed since one can opt out of car insurance by not driving.

[QUOTE="Wasdie"]

Nobody should be forced to purchase anything. End of story.

testfactor888

Taking out the individual mandate while leaving in things such as preventing rescission and denial of coverage for pre-existing conditions would bankrupt the insurance companies. I don't understand why people seem to think that the individual mandate is something that can be just cut out. The individual mandate is basically what makes the rest of the reforms possible.

Nobody should be forced to purchase anything. End of story.

Wasdie