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Thursday, June 28, 2012 | 8:19 a.m.
Brian Sandoval
The fight against the national health care law will now shift to the political arena, Nevada’s lead attorney on the issue said today in an interview on a conservative talk radio program.
Gov. Brian Sandoval, meanwhile, called on Congress to reform the law and “ease the serious burdens it places on the states and the nation’s businesses.”
Attorney Mark Hutchison, who took on the case for free, said on Alan Stock’s radio program this morning, “This allows for a political uprising in the next election. If the American people think they’ve been taxed too much, then they need to change.”
Stock, of Las Vegas radio station KDWN, called the decision a “bullet to the brain.”
Hutchison, who had not read the decision as of 7:50 a.m., expressed surprise that the Supreme Court upheld the mandate for insurance as a tax. Nevada joined 26 other states in opposing the law, but the state’s argument focused on whether Congress has the power to mandate health insurance under the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Sandoval said Congress “should act to reform this law and ease the serious burdens it places on the states and the nation’s businesses.”
He said Nevada “will prepare to meet the serious financial implication of this decision.
An analysis by the state in 2010 found that the law would cost the state $574 million between 2014 and 2019, mostly through increased Medicaid costs.
“The implications for Medicaid costs are still unclear, but Nevada will prepare to meet the serious financial implications of this decision,” Sandoval said.
However, the ruling found that states can opt out of the Medicaid provision with no penalty. So at least in terms of what the law mandates the state to do, there is no increased burden.
Here's the relevant passage of the opinion (thanks to Professor Torvino of Boyd School of Law for the reference): "As a practical matter, that means States may now choose to reject the expansion; that is the whole point.... Some States may indeed decline to participate, either because they are unsure they will be able to afford their share of the new funding obligations, or because they are unwilling to commit the administrative resources necessary to support the expansion. Other States, however, may voluntarily sign up, finding the idea of expanding Medicaid coverage attractive, particularly given the level of federal funding the Act offers at the outset."
Sandoval has already wasted NV money in his Quixotic unconstitutional stand. Now he wants to deny money for NV hospitals by denying Medicaid money and thus requiring NV to subsidize UMC even more for unreimbursed billing. His actions have been lose lose.
And yet he and his family get regulated state paid medical insurance. No private individual plans for him. Of course not. They'd b denied or would collectively pay more than his annual salary. No fool he incomes comes to himself!
We know that Obama raised taxes in the ACA. He and his attorneys kept refusing to call it a tax increase (unless necessary to save the act). Well, it is a tax -- so says the Supreme Court. Obama said he wouldn't raise taxes on anyone making less than $250,000. He even claimed that the ACA penalty is not a tax but now we know he lied. See the lie at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg-ofjXrX...
so the $574 million over 5 years is only if the state chooses to participate in the program. does the state's analysis factor in the cost of paying for the uninsured as they must do now? and what does that cost total over the same 5 year time span without participating in the expanded medicaid program? the $574 million certainly must be tempered by the reduction in uninsured health care costs that the state currently incurs--and which is usually much higher than paying for preventive and early health care.
I'm glad to see after this ruling has been handed down by the U.S. Supreme Court, our Governor is starting to work to make sure it's implemented properly....
What? Oh. I misspoke.
Our Governor has decided to go nutball far right ultra-neo-way-the-heck-out-there conservative and is STILL fighting it.
C'mon, Governor Sandoval. We're approaching last in education in the nation, now you want to complete the coup de grace by not implementing the Affordable Care Act. STILL fighting to reform it.
I am simply amazed at the rhetoric that is still going on now.
I guess the only thing I have left to do is spike the ball. Not in victory. Spike it on top of Governor Sandoval's bulbous meaty head. Repeatedly. Maybe it'll knock some sense into him to start taking care of the people of Nevada, rather than play stupid party politics at each and every turn. He's simply expending more energy fighting something that is now the law of the land, rather than set up health care exchanges, and enacting parts of the Affordable Care Act that should already be up and functioning. Does your stupid political party push you so far over the edge that now it's perfectly acceptable to be un-American? WAKE UP, GOVERNOR SANDOVAL.
I am more than decided on my votes on November 6, 2012. I am going to the voting booths ANGRY. I'm tired of the ultra-conservative hell world people want me immersed in all the time. Obama/Biden 2012 AND a Democratic Party majority in both the House and the Senate. Straight Democrat ticket. I want to DESTROY the Tea/Republican Party. They don't grasp reality, but continue to live in some kind of far right fantasyland.
By the way, I want to add one more thing...
For all my progressive/liberal friends that comment...
Did y'all notice that the normal gaggle is not posting right now? Future and all them?
Not a peep. Not even a syllable.
I have a strong feeling they have all either experienced heart attacks and/or busted blood vessels. And they are in hospitals seeking treatment.
After all these months of listening to their far right crap about "Obamacare," it is HEAVEN now with their absence from the message boards here on the LV Sun.
At least for a little while. While they regroup and try to gin up some new propaganda.
BOO YAH! I guess truth, justice and the American way hurts sometimes.....
They won, you lost - simple as that.
Now it's time to get old man Reid and old man McConnell to quit their childish squabbling and fix the thing.
Why should the state get dragged in the gutter by the wacky world of nut-talk radio. We need normal people making rational decisions, not nut bars and extreme screamers.
"An analysis by the state in 2010 found that the law would cost the state $574 million between 2014 and 2019, mostly through increased Medicaid costs."
Clark County spent 68.4 million last year supporting UMC, mainly due to uninsured medical costs. Much of those costs will be saved when most everyone has insurance.
Also, the ACA pays the first 5 years of the increased cost to states for expanding Medicaid.
Other savings like preventative care...catching illnesses early when they are much cheaper to treat...cannot be forecasted, but will occur.
So when Sandavol claims the ACA will cost the state 574 million over 5 years is simply not true.
Brian I'll email you an application for private sector insurance for you and your family...you don't have to take the taxpayer provided insurance.
The cost of providing medical care for prisoners also has to be factored in.
Why not raise gaming taxes 1% to pay for it.
See The Brian Sandoval Deception. A trailer for the CSI: Carson City series of youtube videos exposing fraud and corruption rampant in Nevada government under Brian Sandoval regime. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtkc0YSNx...
Oh just lay off more teachers, problem solved!
Colin,
It really is a Brave New World, the Nine Top Federal Bureaucrats voted to uphold the "law"...what a surprise. What is more surprising are the people celebrating the decision not grasping the portents of the decision, i.e., notwithstanding the assault on individual liberty, the (additional) burden placed on the private sector to fund the whopping $1.76 TRILLION (yes that's trillion, and estimates still rising!) plan. Where does that money come from, do you suppose? The "rich", people like John Corzine, Barney Frank (live-in prostitute and all) and his paramour at Fannie Mae Herb Moses? Highly Doubtful. Nope, as usual, the cost will dfall upon the middle class and private business which created the wealth that this Federal government is now so quickly squandering. The Great Recession has just been given the green light to last for a very, very long time...enjoy!
Control COSTS by consumer-driven health care, NOT by paying insurance premiums. Consumers must decide what care they need and can afford--higher co-pays for elective MD visits / treatments. And that means copays for MEDICAID--so that EVERYONE must make sound economic decisions. As Welfare agencies know, those on assistance usually have to be forced into "life skills" classes to learn even the basics--like showing up on time for a job, paying rent to prevent eviction, basic hygiene....so let's teach them how to make good decisions regarding health care.
Obamacare of K-12? We can't afford both.
With all due respect, when Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval opposes implementing ACA to Medicare, with his statement of, "An analysis by the state in 2010 found that the law would cost the state $574 million between 2014 and 2019, mostly through increased Medicaid costs," it would serve readers to have a LINK to this state analysis. Just because the Governor says something, doesn't make it so in a non-biased way. We all can deal with facts.
Until the government can get a handle on ILlegal immigration and their impact on our economy, it just might serve us to have the ACA involved with the Nevada healthcare system, which ain't the best presently.
Blessings and Peace,
Star
Wow! All this damnation of the ACA coming from the Unright so quickly. I'll betcha they have not done their homework and really studied.
Their reaction is not a knee-jerk reaction it is one of GOP group think and act. If the GOP leadership make a statement then all the sycophant goose stepping, rubber stamping so-called republicans line up like a bunch of ducks in a row quacking the same message.
NV is #16 in Median income but in the bottom on education, health care, infrastructure that adds up to "Quality of Life" for Nevadans at #50, at the very bottom.
We deserve better!
The governor has arranged for Apple to receive $270,000,000 in tax incentives for the next 3 decades. He doesn't have a leg to stand when he talks about "burdens" being placed on businesses.
Obamacare: if your sick, see an irs agent. There are more of them now then there are doctors.
Hey, B.S....
How about getting yourself to work on the business of 'the people'?
You are SO BUSY working for Jones, Vargas and 'Big Business' and giving away the ranch; what's GOOD for the people of Nevada, Brian? Not your CORPORATE BUDDIES, Sandman... THE PEEPS?!?!
The thing that gets me is that our Governor, who I already think is a bum and should be voted out of office as soon as possible because of running interference for Jones Vargas on mining interests, coupled with hanging out with that birther Trump, has now seemed to gone over to the dark side of ultra-right wing politics. Especially in light of recent events...
Now, he comes out with his opposition to the Affordable Care Act. Supposedly he speaks for all of Nevada regarding this. He doesn't.
Governor Sandoval, right now, is speaking like a Tea/Republican/Evangelical politician from the Deep South. And Nevada is not in that category.
The Affordable Care Act is now the law of the land, affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. But our Governor says he's not going to take steps to implement it. He wants to fight it. He doesn't seem to understand that millions and millions of dollars spent to fight the Affordable Care Act and saturate the airwaves with propaganda...failed. All that money wasted. Now he wants to waste more money? This is fiscal conservatism?
Let's look at this more close. By saying that, he is telling the Federal Government that he is not going to set up health care exchanges to get ready for a lot of the parts that kick in 2014. Very disingenuous. What he is really saying is that he is useless, as the duly elected Governor, he can't take care of his own State, and he is letting the Federal Government set up the health care exchanges for him. Our Governor, as he has signaled by total inaction, has let the Federal Government take over the implementation of the Affordable Care Act in Nevada.
Are you crazy, Governor Sandoval? WAKE UP AND SMELL THE COFFEE. Start taking care of the people in this State and quit acting like a criminal in fighting the law of the land.
It is for THIS and THIS alone that Governor Sandoval is going to get crushed in the next election. Especially when he keeps playing Tea Party crap. He prides himself on being moderate, but he sure don't act it.
Nevada deserves better than this bum. I'm voting him out.