The Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of Obamacare subsidies shifts the battle from the courts and Congress to the 2016 presidential contest, where GOP hopefuls insisted Thursday they’ll take their case to voters and turn the election into a final referendum on the health law.
Lamenting the 6-3 decision that upheld the core of the law, the candidates said they will not allow the “unelected” justices to have the last word on the controversial law.
“This election in 2016 for the House and the Senate and the White House will give you a chance to stop Obamacare and replace it with something better for you and your children,” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told voters in a speech from the Senate floor minutes after the ruling. “Take advantage of this opportunity because if we fail to have the people in place in 2016 to change course, Obamacare becomes cemented in terms of the American health care system and our economic future, and I think it would be a mistake for the ages.”
President Obama, who built his legacy on the law, said the ruling should settle the issue and urged the GOP to drop its objections and move on from the fight that has dominated national politics for eight years, led to one government shutdown and several major court showdowns, and been litigated in repeated elections.
Republican candidates said there was little chance of that, arguing that the court’s ruling doesn’t make the law, which has been rife with controversy, work any better.
“While I resent what the court has done it only causes me to work even harder to make sure the next president will repeal and replace Obamacare with sensible consumer empowering solutions that remove the government from the patient-doctor relationship,” said Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon.
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Still, with the exception of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, the responses from Republican field were thick with criticism, but vague about replacement plans.
“As president of the United States, I would make fixing our broken health care system one of my top priorities,” said former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. “I will work with Congress to repeal and replace this flawed law with conservative reforms that empower consumers with more choices and control over their health care decisions.”
Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee called the decision “an out-of-control act of judicial tyranny” that would embarrass the country’s founders.
He said states should be able to “road-test real health care reforms” and vowed as president to “pass real reform that will actually lower costs, while focusing on cures and prevention rather than intervention.”
In a statement, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida said he will continue to push to replace the law with a consumer-centered plan that “puts patients and families back in control of their health care decisions.”
Arguably the fiercest opponent of Obamacare in the GOP field, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas also aired his grievances on the Senate floor, referring to the justices that sided with the president as “robed Houdinis” and “lawless judges,” and saying if they want to rewrite the laws of the land they should resign their posts and run for office.
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“Mr. President, I remain fully committed to repealing every single word of Obamacare,” Mr. Cruz said. “And mark my words, following the election in 2016, the referendum that we will have, in 2017 this chamber will return and we will repeal every word of Obamacare.”
For his part, Mr. Jindal called on Republicans “must outline a clear and coherent vision for health care to win the trust of the American people to repeal Obamacare.”
“And right now, I am the only candidate to put forward a comprehensive plan,” he said, alluding to a policy a 23-page policy proposal last year that, among other things, called for a standard tax deduction for individuals who buy their own insurance, federal subsidies for states to help low-income individuals and those with preexisting conditions purchase coverage.
GOP candidates’ criticism was countered by praise from former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination, who agreed with Mr. Obama that the court’s ruling — the second time it’s upheld the bulk of the law — should settle matters.
“They’ve voted more than 50 times to repeal or dismantle the law, roll back coverage for millions of Americans, and let insurers write their own rules again — all without proposing any viable alternatives,” Mrs. Clinton said. “Now that the Supreme Court has once again reaffirmed the ACA as the law of the land, it’s time for the Republican attacks to end.”
• Seth McLaughlin can be reached at smclaughlin@washingtontimes.com.
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