The Supreme Court’s decision to uphold a key part of President Barack Obama鈥檚 health law did more than preserve subsidies for millions of Americans. For the second time in three years, it helped cement his legacy.
鈥淎fter multiple challenges to this law before the Supreme Court, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay,鈥 Obama said in the White House Rose Garden, standing before a phalanx of news media and aides. 鈥淭oday is a victory for hardworking Americans all across this country, whose lives will continue to become more secure in a changing economy because of this law.”
In 2012, the health law survived a constitutional challenge and later that year became a major issue in the president鈥檚 re-election campaign. The Republican-controlled House has voted more than 50 times to repeal the law.
In his 10-minute talk, Obama reminded Americans that the law is working and stressed that it has helped slow rising health costs to their lowest rate听in 50 years.
鈥淭he point is, this is not an abstract thing anymore,鈥 he said.听 鈥淭his is not a set of political talking points.听 This is reality.听 We can see how it is working.听 This law is working exactly as it鈥檚 supposed to.听 In many ways, this law is working better than we expected it to.鈥
The president said he would become more active in working to persuade Republican governors and state legislators to expand Medicaid under the law. The Supreme Court in 2012 made Medicaid expansion optional for states. Twenty-one states, including Florida and Texas, have yet to adopt it. 鈥淲e still have states out there that for political reasons are not covering millions of people,鈥 Obama said.
Republicans have shown no willingness听to drop their opposition to the law, which has helped reduce the uninsured rate in many states by half since 2014.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., the law continues to be bad for America. 鈥淭oday鈥檚 ruling won鈥檛 change Obamacare鈥檚 multitude of broken promises, including the one that resulted in millions of Americans losing the coverage they had and wanted to keep,鈥 he said.
Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., was even more blunt: 鈥淲e are going to continue to听work to repeal and replace this听health care law,鈥 he said on the House floor.
Obama said he knew the law is still misunderstood and even people who enjoy its benefits don鈥檛 realize their connection to it. He noted when people gain either subsidized coverage or Medicaid, they don鈥檛 get an 鈥淥bamacare card.鈥
鈥淭his has never been a government takeover of health care,鈥 Obama said, responding to a common GOP sound bite.
Obama compared the impact on Americans to the passage of Social Security in the 1930s and of the creation of Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s. He said the health law made sure all Americans have access to health care insurance regardless of where they live or their health condition. 鈥淭his generation of Americans chose to finish the job鈥.This was a good day for America.鈥
