A Washington state couple whom authorities believe died by murder-suicide reportedly left several notes expressing worry that they could not afford treatment for the wife’s severe medical issues.
The husband, 77, called 911 shortly before 8:30 a.m. Wednesday and told the dispatcher that he planned to shoot himself, the Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. The man said he had written a note for the sheriff with information and instructions.
The dispatcher tried to keep the caller on the phone, according to authorities, but the man said, “We will be in the front bedroom” and hung up.
The Republican Party’s efforts to rip health care away from millions of families spelled doom for the GOP in the 2018 midterm. Yet somehow, Trump thinks it’s a good idea to try one more time — even as yet another poll indicates that Americans don’t want him to.
On Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after his lawyers announced they wanted to completely eliminate the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Trump bragged that Republicans “will become ‘The Party of Health care!’”
But in a Monday court filing, Trump’s Department of Justice announced that it advocates striking down the entire ACA. If this happens and Trump gets his wish, 30 million people stand to lose access to health care. Millions more would lose protections for pre-existing conditions, one of the ACA’s most popular mandates. And 1.2 million people could lose their jobs.
Mem>A doctor in Milton, MA, wheels his patient into his office, February, 2018. Credit: Tlumaki, Getty Images
Conservative state officials, in conjunction with the Trump administration, have launched an all-out attack on health care in the United States. They have brought a suit to overturn the entirety of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), which would have serious consequences for nearly every American who has health coverage, whether through their employer, the individual market, Medicare, or Medicaid. And they found a partisan judge who, last Friday, proved willing to ignore the rule of law and help them advance their political agenda through the courts.
For now, the ACA remains the law of the land. But if the partisan decision in Texas v. United States is upheld, the consequences could be devastating. The Urban Institute estimates that overturning the ACA would result in 17 million more Americans being uninsured in 2019—in addition to coverage reductions that would occur due to the elimination of the individual mandate penalty. Millions of American families could be left without access to health care—and without the financial safety and peace of mind that health insurance provides. Overturning the law would also have serious negative effects on public health and drug development and would shorten the life of the Medicare trust fund. Moreover, it would provide a major tax break to the wealthiest Americans, insurance companies, and drug manufacturers.
Supporters of the decision have talked about this as an effort to end “Obamacare,” which may cause some people to mistakenly believe it only affects those who obtain coverage through the individual marketplace. Nothing could be further from the truth: Virtually no American’s health care coverage would be safe from the effects of this decision. Here are just some of the impacts that this decision, if upheld, would have.
Republicans have come as close as they’ve ever been to destroying the Affordable Care Act. Friday’s court ruling over a GOP lawsuit to overturn the ACA could take health care away from millions and put tens of millions more at risk of not being able to get the care they need.
Here are stories of families who are afraid and could be hurt from Friday’s court ruling:
“Well, I’m worried about our whole family, honestly. … Medical bankruptcies are a reality and they were a much bigger reality before the Affordable Care Act.” – California resident
The most immediate impact of a ruling striking down the 2010 health care law could be confusion and depressed sign-ups in the law’s insurance marketplaces on the final day of open enrollment.
The law remains in place for now — but some consumers may not understand that.
If the federal judge’s ruling Friday night is affirmed, it could cause upheaval in the U.S. health care system. Its immediate effects are minimal, though, as the ruling is expected to be stayed as the case winds through the courts and did not come in the form of an injunction.
A federal judge in Texas on Friday struck down the Affordable Care Act, throwing a new round of uncertainty into the fate of the law just one day before the deadline to sign up for coverage for next year.
U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’Connor ruled that the law’s individual mandate is unconstitutional, and that because the mandate cannot be separated from the rest of the law, the rest of the law is also invalid.
The ruling is certain to be appealed, and legal experts in both parties have said they ultimately expect the challenge to the health law will not succeed. ObamaCare will remain in effect while the case is appealed.
DNC Chair Tom Perez released the following statement after a federal judge in Texas ruled core provisions of the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional, siding with Trump and Republicans:
“Republicans are as close as they’ve ever been to destroying the Affordable Care Act and taking health care away from millions of Americans. This decision threatens the lives of so many who have benefitted from the Affordable Care Act – from people with pre-existing conditions to children who have finally gotten access to the care they deserve. It must be appealed immediately.
“This case is emblematic of the concerted effort by Republicans at every level of government – from statehouses, to Congress, to the White House. For nearly a decade now, the Republican Party has been defined by its cruel, costly, and relentless goal to take away people’s health care. They didn’t stop after the Supreme Court ruled the ACA constitutional in 2012. They didn’t stop after the American people overwhelmingly rejected their attempts to repeal the law last year. They didn’t stop when American voters across the country went to the polls last month and voted for Democrats up and down the ballot. And as today’s decision makes clear, they won’t stop until they have reached their goal of completely dismantling the ACA.Continue reading “DNC on Health Care Ruling in Texas”
New ACA Repeal Plan Revives Threats to Americans’ Health Care
The U.S. Capitol building is seen behind two ambulances on Friday, June 15, 2018. Credit: Getty, Bill Clark
The so-called Health Policy Consensus Group—led by former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-PA) and composed of several conservative think tank groups—just released a new plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act.1 The group has been working with Senate Republicans, a group of corporations, and the White House, which supports the plan. Some Senate Republicans aim to take legislative action on the plan by the end of August.2 Their first step would be to pass a budget bill that provides them with the authority to pass the repeal bill on a party-line vote. The House Budget Committee is scheduled to begin that process this week.3
Although this is a new plan, it merely recycles some of the worst elements of the failed Graham-Cassidy repeal bill4—which experts consider the “the most harmful” repeal bill.5Graham-Cassidy 2.0 would lead to the same disastrous results: Continue reading “Graham-Cassidy 2.0”
The following article by Sam Baker was posted on the Axios website June 7, 2018:
The Justice Department will not defend the Affordable Care Act in court, and says it believes the law’s individual mandate — the provision the Supreme Court upheld in 2012 — has become unconstitutional.
Why it matters: The Justice Department almost always defends federal laws when they’re challenged in court. Its departure from that norm in this case is a major development — career DOJ lawyers removed themselves from the case as the department announced this shift in its position.
A Washington state couple whom authorities believe died by murder-suicide reportedly left several notes expressing worry that they could not afford treatment for the wife’s severe medical issues.
Law remains in place for now
The Justice Department will not defend the Affordable Care Act in court, and says it believes the law’s individual mandate — the provision the Supreme Court upheld in 2012 — has become unconstitutional.