In a now locked thread, critical of DUers, critical President Obama ...

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179. exactly

. . . the same questions that were being asked about SS laws during FDR's term. Many of the same criticisms.

You can debate the future of health care and insurance under ACA but it is a foot in the door; a 'step in the right direction.' Clearly, there aren't enough votes in Congress to mandate or establish single-payer systems for all states right now, but Senators like Bernie Sanders who voted for the act are optimistic that it can be used as a platform for further reform. I don't know how much closer you can get to an analogy of the ACA to the atmosphere and landscape surrounding SS during FDR's time


In a statement after the Supreme Court ruling, Sen. Sanders said,

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the Affordable Care Act. Sen. Bernie Sanders welcomed the ruling. “Today is a good day for millions of Americans who have pre-existing conditions who can no longer be rejected by insurance companies. It is a good day for families with children under 26 who can keep their children on their health insurance policies. It is a good day for women who can no longer be charged far higher premiums than men.

It is a good day for 30 million uninsured Americans who will have access to healthcare. It is a good day for seniors who will continue to see their prescription drug costs go down as the so-called doughnut hole goes away. It is a good day for small businesses who simply cannot continue to afford the escalating costs of providing insurance for their employees. It is a good day for 20 million Americans who will soon be able to find access to community health centers.

It is an especially good day for the state of Vermont, which stands to receive hundreds of millions of dollars in additional federal funds to help our state achieve universal health care.

In my view, while the Affordable Care Act is an important step in the right direction and I am glad that the Supreme Court upheld it, we ultimately need to do better. If we are serious about providing high-quality, affordable healthcare as a right, not a privilege, the real solution to America’s health care crisis is a Medicare-for-all, single-payer system. Until then, we will remain the only major nation that does not provide health care for every man, woman and child as a right of citizenship.