Minnesota Lawmakers Support ACA

By Meg Reid, Undergraduate Research Fellow, January 19, 2012 at 12:30 pm

If you’re keeping an eye on the progress of the Affordable Care Act, you know that in June, the U.S. Supreme Court will make a decision about the bill’s constitutionality. The controversy centers around the individual mandate, which would require most U.S. citizens to purchase health insurance. The Court will also decide whether the individual mandate is severable from the rest of the bill—that is, if the rest of the ACA can remain law in the case that the mandate is struck down.

In deciding the fate of the individual mandate, the justices will have to consider a complicated series of legal questions and arguments. Those challenging the bill say that the federal government does not have the power to require people to buy insurance. Those supporting say otherwise, arguing that the mandate falls under the Commerce Clause, which allows the federal government to regulate commerce among the states.

The mandate is crucial to the success of the bill. The ACA will prevent insurers from denying coverage based on preexisting conditions, so if the healthy are not mandated to buy insurance, the incentive lies for people to get insurance only after they get sick. This would undermine the efforts of the bill to control costs—a study from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation recently found that premiums could rise up to 25% without the mandate.

Last Thursday, State Representative Tom Huntley (DFL – Duluth), Rep. Erin Murphy (DFL – St. Paul) and Senator Tony Loury (DFL – Kerrick) pledged their support for the ACA. They and 480 other lawmakers from all 50 states (including 50 other Minnesotans) filed an Amicus Brief with the U.S. Supreme Court maintaining their support of the bill’s constitutionality.

Minnesotans are already seeing positive changes because of the Affordable Care Act. Small businesses are getting support to pay for their employees’ insurance, insurance companies are barred from denying care to children based on preexisting conditions, children can stay on their parents’ coverage up to age 26, and seniors are getting help to cover Medicare’s donut hole. Says Rep. Huntley, “it’s clear that the ACA is working for Minnesotans.”

Posted in Health Care | Related Topics: Minnesota Legislature  Health Care Reform  Preventative Care 

1 Comment

Carlos says:

February 17, 2012 at 11:08 am

      Rick asked a laitgimete question: What does this race have to do with Radio?The connection is with Franken’s continuing mentions to Air America Radio. If dannybhoy’s comment about Mike Ciresi winning the democrat nomination comes true, then we can put the final wooden dagger into Franken’s failing career aspirations and let him fade away to obscurity.

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