Health Care Reform Passes Major Hurdle

Good news for supporters of health care reform as a federal court judge rules that the provision to tax those who don’t buy health insurance is held up as constitutional. In my opinion, it is a necessity for there to be low cost health care in this country and that everyone is covered. In his decision the judge agreed with the government stating that congress does have a legitimate interest because people who are not buying insurance are actively transferring the cost of health care on everyone who does.

The judge concluded that if this provision didn’t exist “the most costly individuals would be in the insurance system and the least costly would be outside it. In turn, this would aggravate current problems with cost-shifting and lead to even higher premiums. The prospect of driving the insurance market into extinction led Congress to find that the minimum coverage provision was essential to the larger regulatory scheme of the Act.”

To me, health care is a positive right along with education and safety nets. I don’t believe that someone, not knowing where in the social hierarchy they would be, would want to be born in a society where the poor didn’t have access to these services. By consequence, I don’t believe health care reform went far enough, but at least we moved forward and got something passed. Now we just have to make sure we don’t take any steps backwards. I’m looking at you Tea Party.

[Sources: LA Times, NY Times, TPM]