Getting Penalized

Despite what you might have seen on cable news networks Fox News and CNN, the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare – ruling that Congress does have the power to penalize Americans who don't buy health insurance – which was how the individual mandate works. Chief Justice John Roberts was the swing vote – siding with the four justices on the left to uphold the law. So just like that – the Right's arguments that President Obama shredded the constitution with his health reform law – go up in smoke. But for progressives out there – this ruling means we have to keep fighting. Ultimately what happened today was that the Supreme Court reinforced our current healthcare system, which relies on private, for-profit health insurance companies. If we're going to truly fix our nation's healthcare system – we have to get rid of the for-profit motive. President Obama took the first step, making sure we're all in this together – that everyone is contributing to everyone's healthcare. Now it's time to go further – time to push for Medicare part E – Medicare for All.