The Associated Builders and Contractors continues to call for the law’s repeal following this morning’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
The Associated Builders and Contractors was not pleased with the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision today largely upholding the Obama administration’s health care reform law.
“We are deeply disappointed by the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the so-called Affordable Care Act,” said 2012 ABC National Chairman Eric Regelin, president of Granix LLC in Ellicott City, Md. “Under this law, employers have seen insurance premiums increase; have had their plans discontinued, forcing some to purchase more expensive policies; or have had to drop their coverage altogether.”
The court ruled 5-4 today that the law, with its requirement that most Americans carry insurance or face penalties, was permissible under Congress’ taxing power. Chief Justice John Roberts, a 2005 appointee of former President George W. Bush, sided with the court’s left-leaning justices to support the mandate. The court did toss out a portion of the law that penalized states for not complying with all of its new Medicaid requirements.
But that has done little to quell critics such as the ABC that opposed its passage throughout 2009 and 2010. President Barack Obama has called the historic law’s passage a signature accomplishment, but it remains deeply unpopular, and most Americans want it repealed, polls say.
“True health care reform must include practical, common-sense solutions, such as allowing Americans to buy insurance across state lines, offering small business health plans, expanding access to health savings accounts, and making benefits portable in order to reflect the unique nature of the construction industry workforce,” Regelin said. “We urge Congress to repeal the health care law, which has only served to hurt employers and increase premiums for millions of Americans.”
