Reaction: Officials Share Views on Obamacare Ruling

The said that the individual health insurance mandate is constitutional. The mandate requires that every American purchase health insurance. The Supreme Court did say in its decision that the required expansion of Medicaid violated states' rights and may be unconstitutional.

In response to the ruling Rep. Judy Biggert issued a statement:

“With or without the unpopular health mandate, the cost of care continues to rise, and it’s up to Republicans and Democrats alike to work across the aisle on solutions.  I’m disappointed that the Court did not put a stop to the government overreach.  But Washington still has a responsibility to fix polices that are raising costs, hurting job creation, siphoning millions from Medicare, and placing an added layer of bureaucracy between patients and their doctors.   

“Under the Administration’s law, too many families will lose the plans they have, and small businesses are afraid to hire new employees.  We should go back to work on effective, bipartisan reforms that Democrat leaders ignored, like Association Health Plans for small businesses, allowing consumers to buy insurance across state lines, and medical malpractice reform.  At the same time, we can and should maintain coverage for pre-existing conditions and young adults under 26.”

Officials at Edward Hospital also offered its take on the Supreme Court ruling issuing a statement Thursday afternoon. In the statement, hospital officials said:

Today's ruling will expand coverage to many uninsured as well as eliminate barriers for those with pre-existing conditions.

Edward is meeting the demands of health care reform by partnering with our physicians to continue our long-standing commitment of providing the highest quality of care in the most efficient manner – while delivering a great patient experience for which Edward is known.

 Our partnership with DuPage Medical Group is a good example of how we’re evolving in the era of health care reform to deliver efficient, high quality care.

Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross offered his take on the decision and its ramifications:

We have made tremendous efforts this year in Illinois to reduce our state run healthcare program, because we could no longer afford to provide the services that were once promised.  Today’s Supreme Court decision affirms a federal law that has the potential to pile billions of dollars of additional expenses into our state budget that we cannot afford.  We are encouraging Congress to repeal Obamacare at the federal level as soon as possible, and provide Illinois the ability to administer an efficient Medicaid program.

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