On June 28, nine justices assembled inside the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill to reveal their decision on whether to uphold or repeal the Healthcare Overhaul into law. The ruling ended, as we all know now, in a 5-4 vote to uphold the bill.
It’s no secret that this Healthcare bill, spearheaded by President Barack Obama, is a point of high controversy among citizens and politicians alike. Scores of supporters and protesters lined the grounds of Capitol Hill the same day to exercise their right of free speech and demonstrate for or against the law.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the judgment that allows the law to go forward as a tax, not a penalty as Congress had referred to it in the past. Roberts drove home the point that the Supreme Court would not get hung up on labels. A spade is a spade, and as Roberts said, “the payment is collected solely by the IRS through the normal means of taxation.” According to estimates by the administration, about four million people would pay the tax rather than buy insurance, but there is still much to be seen as the months progress.
As the political ads have already informed us, we are coming into an election season and in November we will go to the polls to elect who will be our nation’s president for the next four years. One candidate is for the bill and the other puts forth that he would repeal it if elected. It’s important to take a close look at each candidate, what he claims to do if elected, and make sure these claims align with what we feel is best for the healthcare industry and our rights as U.S. citizens.
The Polk County Medical Association encourages you as a medical physician and leader in your community to vote as well as urge others to vote. Whether you are for or against this Healthcare bill, we must work together for the health of our patients and the community.
Richard Hamilton, MD Ophthalmologist
at Center for retina and Macular Disease
President-Elect, Polk County Medical Association