Second (and third) opinions

THE SUPREME Court's ruling on Obamacare elicited passionate responses, from every stripe of the political spectrum. Here's a sampling of opinions:

Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., House Energy and Commerce Committee chairman:

While I certainly disagree with the Supreme Court's opinion, it does not change the American people's opinion that the law is unaffordable, unworkable, and still must be repealed. This law was controversial as it was being crafted and it has only grown more unpopular as its reach into individuals' lives has grown, and threatens to expand further still. . . . One of the mistakes of Obamacare was that it tried to fix every problem in the health-care system with one massive new law crafted in Washington.

National Review Online:

What the court has done is not so much to declare the mandate constitutional as to declare that it is not a mandate at all, any more than the mortgage-interest deduction in the tax code is a mandate to buy a house. . . . The Constitution does not give the court the power to rewrite statutes, and Roberts and his colleagues have therefore done violence to it. If the law has been rendered less constitutionally obnoxious, the court has rendered itself more so. Chief Justice Roberts cannot justly take pride in this legacy.

Jean Friday, president of the Pennsylvania Alliance for Retired Americans:

Americans can now live more secure, knowing that their health and well-being are no longer tied to the whims and greed of the big insurance companies.

In Pennsylvania, over 235,000 Medicare beneficiaries have already saved a total of $156.1 million on their drug costs, an average of $662 per person. Just last year, over 1.5 million seniors in our state have received free, life-saving tests for chronic diseases. Also, more than 64,000 young adults have gained health insurance through their parent's plan.

Yaron Brook, Ayn Rand Center:

This is an unhappy moment for freedom's supporters. Obamacare will continue the government's long and ugly track record of regulating American health care. In the short term, the results will be higher costs, less competition, less innovation, more bureaucracy, decreased quality. In the long run, the result will be the complete destruction of American health care, as the system's problems are inevitably blamed on our "private" health care system and a fully socialized "single payer" medicine is offered up as the only cure.

Planned Parenthood:

This decision will have a profound and concrete impact on millions of people's lives. Affordable, quality health care will now be available to millions of women who had no coverage or inadequate coverage before. Today, we are closer than ever to realizing the promise of health care for all. This is a victory for the American people.

Richard A. Viguerie, chairman of ConservativeHQ.com:

Conservatives believe with every fiber of our being that the plain language of the Constitution and our other founding documents, to say nothing of American history, demanded that the Supreme Court strike down Obamacare as unconstitutional.

U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa.:

"With this decision, seniors can afford lifesaving medications, children with pre-existing conditions can get the care they need, 30 million more Americans can afford coverage, families won't go broke because of an illness, small businesses can provide affordable coverage for their employees, and young adults can remain on their parents' coverage.

U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah, D-Pa.:

"Pennsylvanians and all Americans are the winners today. Thirty million uninsured Americans are now assured of health-care coverage for the first time. The major investment in community health centers — a lifeline for so many — goes forward. Young adults now are assured of continued coverage by their parents' health insurance, those with pre-existing conditions can breathe a sigh of relief, women are now guaranteed access to reproductive health services, and children with a various health challenges don't need to worry about coverage.