The US Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama’s 2010 health care law early Thursday, and that afternoon the commander-in-chief commended the country’s justices for their landmark ruling.
Speaking from the White House only two hours after the Supreme Court ruled that the president’s health care act could stand, Mr. Obama said the decision “reaffirmed a fundamental principle that here in America, the wealthiest nation on earth, no illness or accident should lead to any family’s financial ruin.”“Whatever the politics, today’s decision was a victory for people all around the country,” President Obama said.In his brief response to the ruling, the president outlined what exactly the Supreme Court’s decision will mean to the country when his health care law goes into effect in 2014. Speaking of the more than 250 million Americans that currently have health care, the president said that companies “can no longer discriminate against children with preexisting conditions” and that “They can no longer jack up your premiums without reasoning.” “All of this is happening because of the affordable care act,” he said.For the 30 million or so Americans currently without health care, President Obama touted Thursday’s ruling as a victory for not just the uninsured by the country as a whole. “If you’re sick, you’ll finally have the same chance to get quality, affordable healthcare as everyone else,” he said.Addressing the criticism that has come from opponents of this and other policies, the president acknowledged that his urging for approval wasn’t a game. “I didn’t do this because it was good politics. I did it because I believed it was good for the country,” he said.