PALESTINE —
Local and East Texas reaction was predictably mixed to Thursday’s narrow Supreme Court decision to uphold the nation’s new health care law, the Affordable Care Act.
The Supreme Court upheld the law by a slim 5-4 margin, with Chief Justice John Roberts breaking ranks with the court’s conservative wing and essentially casting the deciding vote.
U.S. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Dallas, a consistent critic of many of President Barack Obama’s policies, said he was “extremely disappointed by today’s decision.
“The president’s health care law was essentially and regrettably upheld,” said Hensarling, whose district includes Anderson County. “While I respect the Court’s ruling, I do believe it was wrongly decided. I do not believe the federal government is empowered by the Constitution to mandate the purchase of health insurance and I continue to believe that the president’s health care law is bad for our nation’s health and bad for our nation’s future.”
Hensarling was scheduled to appear on CNBC’s Squawk Box at 6:30 a.m. today to discuss the ruling.
“Instead of spending two years engineering a government takeover of health care, the president should have worked with Congress -- both Democrats and Republicans -- to enact policies that will grow our economy and create wealth and jobs for all Americans,” the congressman continued.
Anderson County Democratic Party Chairman J. Larry Davis, however, had a vastly different perspective, saying health insurance companies were more focused on profits than patients.
“People say it’s health care reform,” Davis told the Herald-Press Thursday. “Health care stays the same. What it is is health insurance reform. They’ve (health insurance companies) been jipping and taking advantage of people for too long.”
Davis indicated he believed most people supported the Affordable Care Act with the exception of health insurance companies “who have spent hundreds of millions” of dollars attempting to get the historic legislation overturned.
“It’s all about money,” Davis said. “It’s all about health insurance companies trying to make a profit when they should be more concerned with people’s health.”
John Moore, public information officer for Trinity Mother Frances Hospitals and Clinics which operate throughout much of East Texas, said the public “wants and deserves better access to health care at more affordable costs” regardless of Thursday’s decision.
“Integrated health care providers who have taken a progressive approach to solving many of the issues that reform has tried to address are already on a path of improving quality and finding ways to reduce medical costs,” Moore said. “Trinity Mother Frances has made quality improvement our priority for the last several years.”
Hensarling, meanwhile, indicated he was hoping for a changing of the guard in November.
“I look forward to the next Congress, where Republicans can work with a new president to enact step-by-step reforms that are patient centered and will make health care more affordable for Americans,” Hensarling stated.
Paul Stone may be contacted via e-mail at pstone@palestineherald.com
Local News
Health care action prompts mixed local response
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