The Economy Will Get A Boost If The Court Overturns ObamaCare

[Geee]

Investors Business Daily:

The Obama administration launched a pre-emptive ad blitz on June 19, touting the Obama health law's benefits days before the U.S. Supreme Court will announce its ruling on ObamaCare's constitutionality. The ads claim there's a lot to lose if the law is struck down.

But they say nothing about the hiring boom that will result from an ObamaCare defeat. It would give the economy a shot in the arm.

If the justices rule that mandatory health insurance is unconstitutional, they will also strike down a big chunk of the health law — all of Title 1 — including the burdensome "Employer Responsibility" provision that has struck fear in the hearts of employers and deterred hiring.

Beginning in 2014, the "Employer Responsibility" provision would require employers with 50 or more workers to provide health coverage or pay a penalty. Not just any coverage, but a package of expensive benefits that the president deems "essential."

In most states, that requirement would add $1.79 per hour to the cost of a full-time employee. That would amount to the biggest hike in labor costs in American history. Employers in New York and New Jersey, where health plans are the most expensive, would be hit even harder.

There, according to economist James Sherk of the Heritage Foundation, the employer requirement would add more than $2 an hour to the cost of employing someone.

Many employers who already provide health plans will be hit with higher labor costs in 2014 unless the Supreme Court strikes down Title 1 or all of ObamaCare. The law takes away employers' option to provide low-cost mini-med plans, which are common in retail, fast food and other industries employing large numbers of low-wage workers.

Mini-meds cap what the insurer has to pay out in benefits over a year or a lifetime. Employers opt for them on the philosophy that providing low-cost coverage is better than none at all.

But ObamaCare outlaws this option. Andrew Puzder, CEO of a chain of Carl's Jr. and Hardee restaurants, testified before Congress that switching to the one-size-fits-all government-mandated health coverage would more than double his company's health insurance costs.

[Geee]

Boehner: 'No spiking of the ball' if court strikes down health law

 

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) warned Republican House members not to to celebrate if the Supreme Court rules against the healthcare law.

"There will be no spiking of the ball," he wrote in a memo to the conference.

"Republicans are focused on the economy … We will not celebrate at a time when millions of our fellow Americans remain out of work."

The memo came after a tense morning when the Supreme Court could have issued its ruling, but did not.

The next possible day for a decision is Monday, June 25. Justices could also issue a ruling later next week.

In the memo, Boehner did not address how GOP members should act if the law is upheld.

He repeated that the House will vote to repeal any part of the law, which he referred to as "ObamaCare," left standing by the Supreme Court, and that any attempt to enact new reforms will be "step-by-step."

 

http://thehill.com/blogs/healthwatch/health-reform-implementation/234161-boehner-no-spiking-of-the-ball-if-health-law-falls

[Draggingtree]

The Supreme Court's Obamacare Ruling Was 1 Year Ago Today

What has changed since then, materially and politically?

 

David A. Graham

 

Jun 28 2013, 12:52 PM ET

 

It was just 365 days ago that the justices handed down their unexpected, Solomonically baby-splitting ruling on the major health overhaul passed by Democrats and favored by President Obama. It had something for everyone -- the Affordable Care Act is constitutional! Its mandatory Medicaid expansion isn't! -- and something to confuse everyone, especially CNN and Fox News.

 

With a presidential election behind us and a slew of new issues, from immigration to surveillance, on the docket, the court's decision in National Federation of Independent Business v. Sebelius seems long ago. But not only was it just a year, the law's major clauses still aren't in effect -- though they're now less than 100 days from implementation. Our friends at the Advisory Board put together a great infographic showing what has happened since then.

 

Perhaps the biggest change is the growth of accountable-care organizations, which are designed to save money by cutting unnecessary services:

 

http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2013/06/the-supreme-courts-obamacare-ruling-was-1-year-ago-today/277344/