Health Reform

With the Supreme Court reviewing the Affordable Care Act (ACA), there is no shortage of legal analysis to handicap the decision. But unfortunately, not enough attention has been paid to the real value this law provides to millions of American families and businesses. As governor, I have heard from families unable to purchase coverage at any price because of pre-existing illness, from seniors forced to choose between medications and energy bills and from businesses required to drop employee coverage to stay afloat.

Insurance companies are expected to pay out nearly $1.3 billion in rebates this summer because they haven't complied with a provision under health care reform that they devote more money to health care and less on administrative costs and profit, according to a report by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Marylanders will receive $37.7 million from four insurance providers, according to the report. Kaiser did not name the insurers, but said the average rebate for Marylanders will be $293.50.

With a far more contentious hearing than expected before the Supreme Court, President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act (ACA) could be struck down by a sharply divided court when it rules in June. If that happens, insurance will continue to be priced beyond the means of many. It is therefore prudent to look at possible alternatives for these Americans. Fortunately, a proven model exists today in Howard County: the Healthy Howard Health Plan. With some changes to its financing structure, it could emerge as a viable option for Americans who will not be able to afford to buy insurance should the ACA be struck down.

Thanks to Bob Ehrlich for the long article in Sunday's paper that makes plain, without actually stating it, the big difference between Republicans and Democrats on health care ("A death-knell for employer-funded insurance," April 1). Republicans find the pre-reform status quo acceptable, in which thousands of people died annually, in this wealthy country, for lack of health insurance. Democrats do not, and would like to see the U.S. join the rest of the industrialized world in guaranteeing health care for its citizens.

The fate of the Affordable Care Act is in the hands of the Supreme Court justices. But in the court of public opinion, a large percentage of people polled recently want the law scrapped. A CBS/New York Times survey found nearly half of those polled disapprove of the law, while 40 percent want the entire act overturned. Rasmussen Reports says 56 percent of people surveyed want the act repealed. And the Kaiser Family Foundation found that nearly six out of 10 people don't even know how health care reform affects them — though that didn't stop many of them from disliking it. Consumers should be careful what they wish for. Have they forgotten all the stories of people being unable to buy coverage because of a pre-existing condition or dropped by their insurer like a hot coal when they became ill?

Last week, theU.S. Supreme Courtheard six hours of oral arguments for and against the constitutionality of the new health care law. As a small business owner, I am not a constitutional scholar, but I can definitively say this: the Affordable Care Act is cutting my health care costs and helping my business. My wife and I run an auto repair shop in Columbia. We started as a small, family-business in 1978. Now, we're a well-respected business with 19 employees, a long string of awards and a reputation for service.

President Obama was correct when he opined that every citizen should have health care coverage and pay for it through insurance premiums. But the very partisan law that was rammed through by the Democratic-controlled Congress without the support of the voters was in direct conflict with his campaign promise to unite the country. How much the public objected to the health care law that President Obama signed was made clear in the 2010 elections. I suspect this year's election will reinforce what the public said in 2010.

Columnist Robert Ehrlich asks why the Affordable Health Care Act is so long ("Obamacare: The 2,300 page monstrosity," March 25). The answer is that in a simpler time it was possible to write a law in simpler form because everyone knew what you meant, and you did not have to defend against every kook whose only goal in life was to look for any possible mistake or alternate meaning of a word or phrase. Anyone who takes the trouble to look into the American health care system realizes the U.S. is sadly lacking in caring for it's citizens.

The most important six hours of recent American history will start to unfold on Monday. That day, the Supreme Court begins three days of oral argument on the legal challenge to President Barack Obama's health care reform law ("Obamacare"). The Court's decision will have a profound impact on the quality of American health care. The political repercussions will be equally strong: The decision will either reinvigorate an Obama campaign looking to make good on its signature legislative initiative or fuel a united Republican counterattack along the lines of, "We told you so. " Casual observers may not realize there are 26 states and one business organization (The National Federation of Independent Business)