EDMOND — In a landmark decision settling the law of land, the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act of 2010 Thursday with rippling consequences for the lives of every American.

A major victory for President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats, the narrow 5-4 ruling has added fuel to the fire of House and Senate Republicans’ calls to repeal Obamacare. Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts joined with the liberal wing of the court on the vote.

Oklahoma was one of 26 states to file a lawsuit against Obamacare, arguing that the individual mandate was unconstitutional. Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt said it is disturbing that the justices did not limit the federal government’s power to control the lives of Americans.

“If it walks like a tax and quacks like a tax, it’s a tax,” Roberts said. Congress has the power to tax, he added.

Republican House Speaker John Boehner quickly stated that the Supreme Court ruling “underscores the urgency of repealing this harmful law in its entirety.”

The Supreme Court decision is certain to etch the political landscape of Obama’s re-election effort against former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the apparent Republican nominee for president. Romney has promised to repeal the federal health care law.

“Whatever the politics, today’s decision was a victory for people all over this country, whose lives will be more secure because of this law, and the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold it,” Obama said Thursday from the White House.



Obama says Affordable Care Act to improve health care

Obama outlined what the Affordable Care Act means for every American.

“First, if you are one of the more than 250 million Americans who already have health insurance — you will keep your health insurance,” Obama said. “This law will only make it more secure and more affordable.”

Young adults up to the age of 26 will have the choice of staying on their parents’ health insurance plans, according to the Affordable Care Act. Discounts to prescription drugs have already saved more than 5 million senior adults $600 each on Medicare costs, Obama explained.

Insurance companies are no longer able to limit the amount of care patients can receive in a lifetime, Obama said.

“They can no longer drop your coverage if you get sick,” Obama continued. “They can no longer jack up your premiums without reason. They are required to provide free preventive care like check-ups and mammograms.”

One of the first provisions of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 is that Secretary Kathleen Sebelius of the Department of Health and Human Services can review “unreasonable” rate increases, according to federal law.

Insurance companies will be required by August to send rebates to 13 million Americans, Obama said, because they spent too little money on health care and too much money on CEO bonuses and administrative costs.

Obamacare will allow 500,000 uninsured Oklahomans to become eligible for health insurance. Seven percent of children and 20 percent of all Oklahoma adults from 19 to 64 years of age are currently without health insurance, according to Mike Fogarty, CEO of the Oklahoma Health Care Authority.



Political storm brews

Gov. Mary Fallin was frustrated by the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the federal health care law, she said.

“President Obama’s health care policies will limit patients’ health care choices, reduce the quality of health care in the United States, and will cost the state of Oklahoma more than a half-billion dollars in the process,” Fallin said.

Obama and the Democrats have levied a burdensome tax increase on the middle and lower classes, said Oklahoma U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe. He said the individual mandate will cost Americans the greater of a per-person flat fee or percentage of the household’s income. The flat fee is up to $695, and the income percentage is up to 2.5 percent, he said.

“While I am furious with the Supreme Court’s decision, I know the fight is not over,” said U.S. Rep. James Lankford, R-Edmond. He described the Affordable Health Care Act as the largest power grab in American history.

“If the individual mandate for health insurance is considered a tax, nothing is off limits for this administration to tax,” Lankford said.

Obamacare is certain to be a factor in Lankford’s re-election effort to the Congressional 5th District when voters go to the polls on Nov. 6. Lankford will face Democrat Tom Guild of Edmond and two independent candidates, Pat Martin of Jones and Norman resident Robert T. Murphy.

Guild said he is pleased with the Supreme Court ruling.

“I think it’s really healthy for whatever reason Roberts did it, that a Republican appointee was the deciding vote to uphold the Affordable Care Act,” said Guild, an attorney and retired University of Central Oklahoma legal studies professor.

“I’m very pleased that the prohibition against not covering children with pre-existing conditions will continue in effect,” Guild continued. “And I’m very pleased that will be extended to adults in 2014.”

Edmond Democrat and attorney, Tim Reese, said he was not surprised by Roberts’ vote.

“The spending power which is Congress’ ability to tax and spend was the stronger judicial argument, from a pure constitutional aspect, than the commerce clause,” Reese said.



Hospital executives weigh ruling

Health care in Oklahoma has been changing for a long time. Mercy Hospital in Oklahoma City has always been looking for better ways to provide health care, Mercy Hospital President Jim Gebhart told The Edmond Sun. Mercy encourages the community to investigate what the federal health care law means to them individually, he said.

“This individual ruling is certainly going to have an impact on insurance companies, have an impact on some of our patients, and probably have an impact on the way we deal with insurance companies,” said Gebhart, who lives in Edmond. “But, we really don’t see it having an impact on how we deliver health care on an individual basis.”

More people with health insurance will bring more patients to health care settings. A shortage of primary care physicians in rural areas has been a challenge for hospitals, Gebhart said.

“It’s been an issue that Mercy has tried to tackle,” Gebhart said. “We call that an access issue. We think a lot of what this ruling is about, is about access to care.

Telemedicine and the electronic health record are ways Mercy is bridging the gap to reach underserved communities, he said.

“We’re really proud of how our nurses have adopted this technology to care more efficiently, more effectively with patients in our communities,” Gebhart said.

Mercy will continue to work on making health care affordable, better and making it right, he said.

OU Medical Center Edmond will continue to work with patients, payors and the government to ensure a smooth transition within OU Medical Center Edmond as the provisions of the law are enacted, said Jordan Herget, CEO.

“We are pleased that millions of Americans will have coverage for better access to vital medical services, preventive care and acute care, including many in Oklahoma,” Herget said.

Bruce Lawrence, president and CEO of Integris Health, said the hospital’s focus is delivering the highest-quality care possible to its patients. Patient care will soon include many Oklahomans who were once without medical coverage, he said.

The Supreme Court ruling has no immediate impact on the way Integris does business, Lawrence said.

“No matter what happens in Washington, D.C., Integris Health is dedicated to ensuring patients and communities have access to health care that is both accessible and affordable for the patients we serve,” Lawrence said.



jcoburn@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 114