The Supreme Court’s Affordable Care Ruling Is a Big Deal For African-Americans

[two_third last=”no”]June 28, 2012 will go down in history as the date the U.S. Supreme Court announced its 5-4 ruling that upholds the law many media outlets, commentators and politicians call “Obamacare.”

• READ: The full text of the ruling

Officially titled the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the measure passed in 2010. It calls for comprehensive changes in the way Americans access health care. It’s estimated that about seven million African-Americans are uninsured.

The National Federation for Independent Business (NFIB) led the group of plaintiffs that brought the suit, calling PPACA unconstitutional.

As the Supreme Court prepared to tackle the case in March, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights joined forces in filing an amicus brief with the court.

Their argument: the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is constitutional and, in fact, would advance “equal opportunity and liberty for millions of disadvantaged Americans.”

The sticky issue

PPACA has been a political football ever since it passed, with Republicans mostly against it and Democrats mostly for it.

• VIDEO: Mitt Romney reacts to Supreme Court decision

The provision that has overtaken the public debate and coverage of the Supreme Court case is the individual mandate, also known as the minimum coverage provision. It requires Americans without health insurance to purchase basic policies—or pay a tax. Barring a repeal of the law, this component will go into effect in 2014.

• READ: What is the individual mandate all about?

The debate over the mandate overshadows the fact that 18 key provisions of the act have already taken effect, including:

• No discrimination against children with pre-existing conditions. Beginning in 2014, this will apply to all Americans.

• Help for uninsured Americans with pre-existing conditions

• An end to rescissions, the practice of insurance companies dropping people from coverage when they get sick.

• Bans lifetime limits on coverage

• Holding insurance companies accountable for unreasonable rate hikes

African-Americans and health care reform

In a March article for theGrio.com, Perry Bacon Jr. said a striking down of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act would be bad for blacks.

Bacon specifically cited two elements of the PPACA as crucial for African-Americans: expansions of federal funding for Medicaid and the requirement for insurance companies to cover and offer insurance at reasonable prices to people who don’t get coverage through their employers. (The Supreme Court did rule that the federal government cannot force states to accept the expansion funds).

In a paper dated March 12, the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights said:

“The burdens of costly health care are not distributed evenly. Rather, they fall disproportionately on disadvantaged populations, which are more likely to experience higher rates of unemployment, to have jobs that do not have health insurance, and to have lower incomes that put higher insurance premiums out of their financial reach.”

The NFIB argues that, instead of helping anyone, the health care reform act will hurt the economy, starting with its members. In a release posted on its website Thursday, the NFIB states the ruling will mean, “small-business owners are going to face an onslaught of taxes and mandates, resulting in job loss and closed businesses,” adding that the ruling strengthens federal control over American lives.

“The power and control of health-care decisions should be in the hands of the consumer, not the government,” says the release.

• READ: The NFIB’s reaction to the ruling

Looking ahead

In an address shortly after the Supreme Court decision was announced, President Obama focused on the parts of the health care act that already are in effect, offering statistics for how many people have been helped and how much money has been saved.

• VIDEO: President Obama reacts to Supreme Court decision

The NFIB has vowed to keep pushing for a repeal of the PPACA act, as have lawmakers and the likely Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney.

What do you think? Is the Supreme Court ruling good for African-Americans?

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Missouri Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay Calls Supreme Court Decision a Victory for Americans

“I am extremely pleased by the Court’s ruling that the health care reform law is constitutional. This is not a political triumph, but a victory for the American people. I was, and continue to be, a proud cosponsor of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. I wholeheartedly believe in making quality health care available to and affordable for all Americans, and am encouraged that the Supreme Court agrees.

This ruling is significant. Insurance premiums will not increase, and health care costs for all of us will continue to be reined in. Most importantly, tens of millions of Americans will gain health insurance. That is the true victory.

This is also a big win for those who currently have health insurance. Individuals with pre-existing conditions will not face unaffordable premiums, and insurance companies will not be able decline to cover them. Parents will continue to be able to cover their children aged nineteen through twenty-six under their insurance plans. Seniors will not be forced to choose between paying for their prescription drugs – at astronomical prices – or buying food or heating their homes this winter.

I look forward to full implementation of the Affordable Care Act, when quality, affordable health care coverage will be available for all.”

– Congressman Wm. Lacy Clay (D) Missouri
St. Louis, MO

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