After surviving latest court challenge, Obamacare may stick around a while

For the second time in three years, the Affordable Care Act has survived a U.S. Supreme Court challenge. In 2012, the Court ruled the law’s individual mandate was constitutional. This month, the court ruled that subsidies for purchasing health insurance made available through the federal exchange do not violate the law. Several other challenges remain in lower courts, but even if they succeed, the bulk of the law will remain intact. Are you happy with the law? Why or why not? Do you think Congress should make revisions to it or allow it to work as designed?

The ACA was, is and will continue to be a complete failure. This administration cares nothing for the people this has destroyed.

— Robert Ellison, Burleson

The Affordable Care Act is a very positive steppingstone toward Americans getting what every other civilized country has: universal healthcare for all.

— Tammy Sparks, Wichita Falls

Do you really call this affordable? The typical health insurance policy offered to my wife and me comes with a collective deductible of $12,000, in addition to a $1,500 monthly premium. In the normal course of a year, there is no way this deductible can be met.

— John C. Roman, Fort Worth

Obamacare is doing exactly what President Obama intended, which was to redistribute wealth in order to reduce the middle class to the level of the lower class.

— Clista Hancock, Arlington

I was delighted and relieved that the Supreme Court upheld the ACA. I would have preferred a more sweeping and less complex way of delivering healthcare, but as long as the U.S. is on the road to promoting the welfare of all its citizens, I’m happy.

— Sarah Dolbier, Fort Worth

Socialism at its best.

— Bruce Kalapach, Fort Worth

The ACA was passed by a Democratic Senate and House led by Nancy Pelosi, who stated: “We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.”

This, my fellow citizens, was just a start of the lies, bribery, backroom deals and other violations of the Constitution and a change of our way of life in America.

— Grady Fuller, Kennedale

Obama promised the ACA would lower premiums by up to $2,500 a year for a typical family.

My monthly premium went up only 7 percent when compared to last year, but my deductible went up 430 percent. So before my insurance even kicks in this year, I will have to pay $2,370 more when compared to last year to get the same coverage. This does not even count prescription drug cost increases.

So to answer your question: No!

— James Greer, Fort Worth

First, Supreme Court Justice John Roberts and four liberals say that the mandate is unconstitutional and call it a tax, which they say is OK, even though the government argued it was a mandate.

Now those same judges say that words do not mean what the words say because you have to look at the whole law.

Well, judges, you should have ruled the whole law invalid for not originating in the House of Representatives, where tax bills must originate.

— Tom Stamey, Fort Worth

While there is no doubt that the law can be improved upon, even in its current flawed form it has done far more good than harm.

Currently, the healthcare exchange has allowed my wife and me to be able to afford good insurance while looking for new jobs. Given our health needs and the cost of our medicines, not having this insurance would have created grave problems.

So, bottom line, yes, we are very happy with the new healthcare law.

— Bill Robinson, Arlington

I’ve heard many say after the Supreme Court ruling that Texas should fully embrace the ACA and expand Medicaid.

Sounds great unless the federal funds dry up and the state has to continue to provide programs.

I understand that some form of safety net should be in place for the needy, but when one becomes dependent on government to survive you really are not free.

— Eric Bynum, Arlington

The ACA is one of the worst laws ever imposed on middle-class and upper-middle-class Americans who earned their education, professional careers and retirement. It is making retirement very difficult.

I have a Medicare supplemental policy that I need because of health problems and worries about going broke based on the cost of medical care.

My premiums were affordable and stable before the ACA. Since the ACA took effect, my premiums have increased by more than 200 percent.

— Walter H. Delashmit, Justin

Many millions of Americans are rooting (perhaps quietly) for the law’s repeal and are most assuredly not tired of such attempts.

What those persons are tired of is the incessant lawlessness of the so-called leaders of this country and the Supreme Court’s elevating specious rationalization to an art form in order to “go-along” and save bad legislation.

The ACA is bad legislation in part because it dictates terms of the insurance policies, forces compliance regardless of ethical or religious objections, forces income redistribution through the subsidy process and, altogether, razes individual choice and liberty.

— Gary Hancock, Arlington

The ACA is not a good law. People should not be mandated to buy coverage just to protect themselves in case they have a medical problem. The decision should be left to the individual.

— Willie Hargis, Forest Hill

The ACA is a good start. It’s giving a lot more people access to healthcare.

But if we’re ever going to get everyone covered, and if we want to get control of healthcare costs, the country is eventually going to have to go to a single-payer system.

— Dennis Novak, Fort Worth

It isn’t as much about the law, but how it was initiated. It was stuffed down our throats — 2,700 pages with a deadline of about a week.

Shenanigans such as that have lost the people’s trust. Many of us feel the government wants to control our lives and doesn’t care what we think.

— Eva Snapka, Arlington

A recent letter to the editor characterized the court’s ruling as “painfully tortured and convoluted” and said that “not many in the country are buying it.”

Perhaps it might be noted that the millions who purchased “affordable” health insurance policies might be buying it. And the millions more expected to enroll in this and future years might be counted as well.

If my wife and I were not beneficiaries of Medicare, we would by delighted to participate in the ACA.

— Tony Magoulas, Bedford

I don’t like Obamacare the way it is now at all. My main objection is having my taxes subsidize people who can well afford healthcare coverage and still try to live off the system.

— Pat Adkins, Fort Worth

This story was originally published July 2, 2015 at 7:12 PM with the headline "After surviving latest court challenge, Obamacare may stick around a while."