U.S. News and World Report: on Health Care


Antonin Scalia: ObamaCare "state exchanges" cannot be federal exchanges

The Supreme Court upheld one of the main tenets of ObamaCare, ruling 6-3 that millions of Americans are entitled to subsidies be distributed through both federal and state channels. The Supreme Court agreed.

In dissenting, Justice Antonin Scalia-- joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas--said the majority erred in reading the law's language describing an "Exchange established by the State" to mean "Exchanges established by the State or the Federal Government."

"That is of course quite absurd, and the Court's 21 pages of explanation make it no less so," Scalia wrote in his own 21-page opinion. "Words no longer have meaning if an Exchange that is not established by a State is 'established by the State,'" he said. "It is hard to come up with a clearer way to limit tax credits to state Exchanges than to use the words 'established by the State.' It is hard to come up with a reason to include the words 'by the State' other than the purpose of limiting credits to state Exchanges."

Source: US News&World Report on 2015 SCOTUS decision King v. Burwell Jun 25, 2015

Bill Bradley: Alter tax code to make health insurance more affordable

Changing the tax code [for health reform is] part of Bradley’s proposal. Employers get tax breaks, totaling $100 billion a year, when they purchase health insurance for their workers. But individuals who buy insurance on their own get little help. That’s one reason insurance is often unaffordable.
Source: US News & World Report, p. 32 Oct 18, 1999

Clarence Thomas: Concurs that ObamaCare "state exchanges" cannot be federal

The Supreme Court upheld one of the main tenets of ObamaCare, ruling 6-3 that millions of Americans are entitled to subsidies be distributed through both federal and state channels. The Supreme Court agreed.

In dissenting, Justice Antonin Scalia-- joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas--said the majority erred in reading the law's language describing an "Exchange established by the State" to mean "Exchanges established by the State or the Federal Government."

"That is of course quite absurd, and the Court's 21 pages of explanation make it no less so," Scalia wrote in his own 21-page opinion. "Words no longer have meaning if an Exchange that is not established by a State is 'established by the State,'" he said. "It is hard to come up with a clearer way to limit tax credits to state Exchanges than to use the words 'established by the State.' It is hard to come up with a reason to include the words 'by the State' other than the purpose of limiting credits to state Exchanges."

Source: US News&World Report on 2015 SCOTUS decision King v. Burwell Jun 25, 2015

John McCain: Higher taxes on cigarettes

McCain supports higher taxes on cigarettes.
Source: US News & World Report, p. 23 Jan 17, 2000

Nan Whaley: Medicaid crucial to helping addicts; don't throw people off

Medicaid covers both inpatient and outpatient drug rehabilitation. It also pays for a significant share of states' buprenorphine medication-assisted treatment. In my Montgomery County, where 773 treatment beds aren't nearly enough to respond to our ever-growing need, it's critical that we expand treatment options, not make them out-of-reach by throwing people off their health insurance. The same is true for states and counties across the country.
Source: US News & World Report on 2018 Ohio Gubernatorial race Jul 24, 2017

Samuel Alito: Concurs that ObamaCare "state exchanges" cannot be federal

The Supreme Court upheld one of the main tenets of ObamaCare, ruling 6-3 that millions of Americans are entitled to subsidies be distributed through both federal and state channels. The Supreme Court agreed.

In dissenting, Justice Antonin Scalia-- joined by Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas--said the majority erred in reading the law's language describing an "Exchange established by the State" to mean "Exchanges established by the State or the Federal Government."

"That is of course quite absurd, and the Court's 21 pages of explanation make it no less so," Scalia wrote in his own 21-page opinion. "Words no longer have meaning if an Exchange that is not established by a State is 'established by the State,'" he said. "It is hard to come up with a clearer way to limit tax credits to state Exchanges than to use the words 'established by the State.' It is hard to come up with a reason to include the words 'by the State' other than the purpose of limiting credits to state Exchanges."

Source: US News&World Report on 2015 SCOTUS decision King v. Burwell Jun 25, 2015

  • The above quotations are from Columns and news articles in U.S. News and World Report.
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