This morning, shortly after 10 am, Chief Justice John Roberts will open oral argument in U.S. Department of Health and Human Services v. Florida on the issue of whether challenges to ObamaCare’s individual mandate are barred at this time by the Anti-Injunction Act (AIA). The AIA requires individuals challenging most taxes to first pay the tax, seek a refund, and then sue the federal government for denying such a refund—putting off challenges to the mandate until 2015 at the earliest. The Supreme Court will hear arguments as to whether the mandate …
Six hours of oral argument will be conducted in four sessions, spread over three days. That’s what the Supreme Court has allocated for the cases challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare). The arguments begin Monday, as attorneys representing 26 states, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), and a few of its individual members square off against U.S. Solicitor General Donald B. Verilli, Jr. and one of his deputies. Other attorneys appointed by the Supreme Court will join the fray on two issues. …
Americans who feel overtaxed already are in store for a shocker: Obamacare will add 17 new taxes or penalties for a whopping cost of $502 billion over its first 10 years. This week’s chart illustrates the new taxes and offers a year-by-year rundown of their annual costs. These taxes will pay for generous subsidies, an expansion of Medicare and new government spending. A notable jump in Obamacare taxes comes in 2013, a result of Medicare Hospital Insurance tax and an increase in taxes on investment income for high-income earners. “If …
On Monday—two years after President Obama signed Obamacare into law—the Supreme Court will hear arguments challenging the health law’s constitutionality. Heralded as the case of the century, the oral arguments heard and, ultimately, the Court’s decisions will set the precedent for hundreds of future legal rulings. They also will determine if there are any limits left to what the federal government can require regarding personal and private decisions. From its inception, Obamacare has faced challenges on legal and moral grounds. In fact, Heritage analysts were among the first to explain …
Shortly after President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act into law two years ago, the National Federation of Independent Business joined a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality. After victories in district court and federal appeals court, Obamacare goes before the U.S. Supreme Court next week. Karen Harned, executive director of NFIB’s Small Business Legal Center, has argued passionately on behalf of business owners against the law. During a visit to The Heritage Foundation yesterday, she sat down with us to preview the six hours of oral arguments and …
This week, Obamacare will have its second birthday, but there’s little reason to celebrate. Throughout the week, Obamacare advocates have emphasized the law’s supposed benefits on specific groups of Americans, but as Heritage’s research over the past two years has shown, Obamacare harms Americans—even the groups showcased by the left. Today, the focus is on Obamacare’s extension of coverage to those with pre-existing conditions. Advocates argue that the expensive health law was necessary to meet the needs of this population, but far fewer Americans have taken advantage of new programs …
Today is the official second anniversary of Obamacare’s signing, but there’s little to celebrate. The Heritage Foundation’s re-launched version of “Obamacare in Pictures: Visualizing the Effects of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” shows through new charts and graphs Obamacare’s far-reaching negative effects on Americans. Here are just a few examples of what the series reveals about Obamacare: It grows dependence on government. Obamacare expands government control over health care by expanding Medicaid and creating new government exchanges. By the year 2020, more than 50 percent of Americans will …
Today marks the two-year anniversary of President Obama signing into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which will go down in the history books as “Obamacare.” With the Supreme Court poised to hear oral argument in the 26 states’ and NFIB’s challenge to the Act next week, members of the House have been celebrating and lamenting the passage of Obamacare. On the floor of the House Wednesday evening, Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi opined that the Declaration of Independence supports Obamacare because the Act “helps to guarantee…a healthier life, the …
Obamacare’s provisions will result in significant job loss acrossAmerica. Below is a summary of how Obamacare’s provisions will harm job growth: Employer mandate. Obamacare requires all businesses with 50 or more full-time employees to provide health coverage for their workers or pay a $2,000 penalty for each employee after the first 30 workers.The employer mandate creates incentives for businesses to avoid higher costs by, for example, hiring part-time employees instead of full-time employees, since businesses will not be penalized for failing to provide health insurance to part-time employees.In addition, as …
Two years ago today, President Barack Obama signed into law Obamacare, a 2,700-page bill that will radically alter America’s health care system and wreak havoc on medical costs, quality of care, and fundamental rights in ways that are beyond the scope of our imagination. Much of what was contained in Obamacare was hatched behind closed doors where not even the slightest ray of light could find its way in. Even the men and women in Congress who were entrusted to represent the people cast their votes blindly, not knowing what …
