On Thursday June 28th, 2012 Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said “the Affordable Care Act survives largely unscathed.” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion which should allow most of the law’s more expansive changes to proceed, the bulk of which are scheduled to take effect in 2014. The Arizona Republic claims that with the U.S. Supreme Court’s approval, the Affordable Care Act entered an elite canon of laws that have rewritten the social contract between American citizens and their government.
For a few months my daughter with a cancerous brain tumor which causes seizures has reprieve through the Obama Care Pre-existing Condition Insurance Plan which started after President Obama sided the Affordable Care Act into law in 2010. She was unable to afford insurance prior to her diagnosis because she was a self-employed freelancer with low income and could not get accepted by insurance after her diagnosis. Because of budget problems in Arizona she was also ineligible for AHCCCS, Arizona’s Medicaid. Without the PCIP plan she would not be able to afford the care she needs to treat her cancer or receive necessary treatments and surgery.
In November voters will angrily try to rip apart the policies, procedures and laws that have been put in place by all three branches, legislative, executive and now judicial, of our government. The reason it was even necessary is an oversight by our forefathers when they were writing the Constitution and Bill of Rights. The preamble of the constitution states: “to promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.” In addition “We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” The origin for this famous phrase was based on English philosopher John Locke, who expressed that “no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions.” Somehow the important word health had been left out. Instead, in pursuit of a normal healthy existence (a basic need for happiness) one can loose all their possessions no matter how carefully they have saved for a rainy day.
I suggest that what we need to do is pass an amendment stating: “The right of all citizens of the United States, to receive comprehensive affordable health care coverage for all medically necessary preventive, acute and chronic health care and mental health care services, medications and devices. It shall be the obligation and duty of the Legislature and Executive branches on behalf of the citizens of the United States to enact and implement such laws that will ensure this is achieved within the time frame outlined by the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act, H. R 3962 (U. S. House of Representatives) and the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act ( U.S. Senate) signed into law on March 23rd, 2010 by President Obama.
Article: The Dignity of Medical Coverage by Gary Cohn@ mesothelioma.com .
