Appeals Court Upholds Health Care Mandate

By Andrea Salazar

The U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia today delivered a victory to President Obama and other supporters of the Affordable Care Act.

In a split opinion, the panel ruled that the federal government has the authority to require all Americans to purchase health insurance or pay a fine, even if it encroaches on individual liberties.

“The right to be free from federal regulation is not absolute and yields to the imperative that Congress be free to forge national solutions to national problems,” Judge Laurence Silberman wrote.

The American Center for Law and Justice brought the case, arguing that the mandate violates individual and religious freedom by forcing a people to purchase insurance.

The Supreme Court will likely rule on the law next year.

Measure To Repeal Healthcare Gets First Democratic Signature

Rep. Gene Tayor, a Democrat from Mississippi, became the first Democrat to attach his name to a GOP-backed petition to repeal the healthcare law that passed earlier this year.

The measure, put forth by Rep. Steve King (R-Iowa), now has 171 co-signatures. If that number reaches 218, King says he’ll bring the repeal measure to the floor for a full vote.

“Adding Rep. Taylor to the discharge petition is a significant step towards repealing Obamacare,” said King. “Rep. Taylor’s decision also means that the effort to repeal Obamacare now has something that the effort to pass Obamacare never achieved: bipartisan support. Americans want the President’s bill repealed, and Americans should ask their Representatives to sign the discharge petition.”