DN Editorial: A HEALTHY START – The Philadelphia Daily News – June 26, 2015

POPE FRANCIS hasn’t even arrived, but already yesterday brought two miracles. Both are court rulings, and both will ensure millions of Pennsylvanians will be able to lead healthier lives.

First, the state Commonwealth Court struck down Act 192 that would have allowed the National Rifle Association to sue Pennsylvania cities that enact local gun laws, and demand taxpayers pay their legal fees. The law was an affront to big cities like ours that are fighting against gun violence. The court’s decision dealt a rare defeat for the NRA, a miracle for which we have two words: Praise Jesus.

The big miracle is that the Supreme Court upheld a key provision of Obamacare that will continue to allow subsidies to help low income Americans buy health insurance.

King v. Burwell focused on a challenge based on six words among the thousands in the Affordable Health Care act. It targeted states, like Pennsylvania, that had opted to not set up their own health-care marketplaces, or “exchanges,” but instead rely on a federal marketplace where people shop for health coverage. The court dismissed the claim, interpreting the overall intent of the law rather than a few problematic words referring to “an exchange established by the state.”

This ruling is a victory for the millions of Americans who have gotten health care through the Affordable Care Act. It was a defeat for the narrow partisan interests who want to kill Obamacare because . . . well, that’s hard to explain.

To Republicans, Obamacare’s mandate for people to buy health insurance represents an overreach of government – because you know, no one wants to face life knowing the health of their families won’t bankrupt them; no one wants to sleep peacefully not racked with worry that they can’t afford to get sick.

Unbowed by defeat, Republican contenders for the White House issued statements vowing to continue the fight to kill the ACA, most of them vowing to replace it with their own version. For example, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush said as president he would “make fixing our broken health-care system one of my top priorities.”

In other words, Republicans apparently aren’t opposed to health care, they just don’t like any version that 1) is working or 2) doesn’t come from them.

Obamacare has plenty of room for fixes and improvements, but it has altered the lives of the many in this country who were uninsured. The act and its passage underscored the notion that health care should not be a perk for the privileged or those lucky enough to work at jobs that come with benefits. Ensuring that human beings can access the most basic health care to keep themselves healthy and alive is not an overly generous “entitlement.” It should be a foundation of our society.

Battles still remain. For example, Public Citizens for Children and Youth just released a report highlighting the problem of undocumented children who are ineligible for Childrens’ Health Insurance Program (CHIP) that was designed to make sure all kids, no matter what their circumstances, are covered by some kind of health care. That will be a tough battle, but as yesterday proves, miracles do happen.


The Philadelphia Daily News – June 26, 2015 – Read article online