Health Care Rally Draws Big Crowd at Missouri Capitol March 27, 2012

(AP) – Thousands of people have gathered at the Missouri Capitol to rally against federal health care policies and state legislation affecting workers.

The inside of the Capitol was packed Tuesday with people from religious and anti-abortion groups upset about President Barack Obama’s policy requiring insurance companies to provide free birth control to women working at church-affiliated institutions.

The gathering coincided with a Senate debate on Missouri legislation allowing employers to refuse to provide insurance coverage for contraception.

The rally also coincided with U.S. Supreme Court arguments on the constitutionality of the federal health care law.

Outside the Capitol, union members were rallying against efforts by the Republican-led state Legislature to enact what they describe as anti-worker policies affecting union rights and wages on public works projects.

Here It Goes, Health Care Law Heads for Supreme Court September 29, 2011

From the NY Times:

The Obama administration asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to hear a case concerning the 2010 health care overhaul law. The development, which came unexpectedly fast, makes it all but certain that the court will soon agree to hear one or more cases involving challenges to the law, with arguments by the spring and a decision by June, in time to land in the middle of the 2012 presidential campaign.

Related in Opinion

Room for Debate: Is the Health Care Law Unconstitutional?

 

Connect With Us on Twitter

Follow @NYTimesNational for breaking news and headlines.

Readers’ Comments

Share your thoughts.

• Post a Comment »

• Read All Comments (151) »

The Justice Department said the justices should hear its appeal of a decision by a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, in Atlanta, that struck down the centerpiece of the law by a 2-to-1 vote.

“The department has consistently and successfully defended this law in several courts of appeals, and only the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled it unconstitutional,” the Justice Department said in a statement. “We believe the question is appropriate for review by the Supreme Court.

“Throughout history, there have been similar challenges to other landmark legislation, such as the Social Security Act, the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, and all of those challenges failed,” the statement continued. “We believe the challenges to the Affordable Care Act — like the one in the 11th Circuit — will also ultimately fail and that the Supreme Court will uphold the law.”

On Monday, the administration announced that it would not seek review from the full 11th Circuit. Its Supreme Court petition was not due until November.

The administration did not explain why it did not take routine litigation steps that might have slowed the progress of the challenges enough to avoid a decision in the current Supreme Court term. It did say in its brief that the 11th Circuit’s decision striking down the central piece of a comprehensive regulatory scheme created “a matter of grave national importance.”

The political calculus is complicated. A decision striking down President Obama’s signature legislative achievement only months before the election would doubtless be a blow. But a decision from a court divided along ideological lines could further energize voters already critical of last year’s 5-to-4 campaign finance decision, Citizens United.

A decision upholding the law might also both help and hurt Mr. Obama’s chances. It would represent vindication, but it could also spur some voters to redouble their efforts to elect candidates committed to repealing it.

The three federal courts of appeal that have issued decisions on the law so far have all reached different conclusions, with one upholding it, a second — the 11th Circuit— striking it down in part, and a third saying that threshold legal issues barred an immediate ruling. A fourth challenge to the law was heard last week by the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.

The views of the appeals court judges have not uniformly tracked the presumed views of the presidents who appointed them. Judge Jeffrey S. Sutton, appointed by President George W. Bush, joined the majority in a 2-to-1 decision of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in Cincinnati, which upheld the law. Judge Frank M. Hull of the 11th Circuit was appointed by President Bill Clinton and was an author of its majority opinion.

Kansas Backs Out of Health Care Reform IT Grant August 9, 2011

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback’s office says the state is opting out of a $31. million dollar grant to develop IT programs in connection with the new health care reforms.

“There is much uncertainty surrounding the ability of the federal government to meet it’s already budgeted future spending obligations. Every state should be preparing for fewer federal resources, not more. To deal with that reality Kansas needs to maintain maximum flexibility. That requires freeing Kansas from the strings attached to the Early Innovator Grant,” said Governor Brownback said in a news release.

In February, Kansas was one of seven states named for the ‘Early Innovator’ grants being awarded by the Department of Health and Human Services.

The grants were to help the state develop and IT systems to assist with a state health insurance exchange. that would be a plan to allow people and small businesses to act collective in search of lower costs health programs.

Another one of the seven states, Oklahoma, has also opted out of the plan. The others in that first round of grants included  Maryland, New york, Wisconsin, Oregon and a multi-state consortium lead by the University of Massachusetts.

“We will work to find innovative Kansas based solutions to Kansas challenges and be very selective in the federal funds the state applies for and receives,” said lt. Governor Dr. Jeff Coyler.

Obama Admin Wants Health Care Show Down in Courts March 9, 2011

Politico is reporting “The Obama administration has asked the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals for expedited treatment of its appeal of Judge Roger Vinson’s ruling overturning the health care reform law. Under the administration’s proposed briefing schedule, oral arguments could come as soon as June or July – setting the stage for a Supreme Court showdown not long after.” For more information… http://www.politico.com

B-Day for Obama, The Budget February 14, 2011

The National Journal has this quick preview of the budget developments in Washington, as the White House offers its new budget(for the fiscal year that starts in September).

For a day, at least, Egypt will take a back seat to the revelation and presentation of the president’s budget for fiscal 2012. Obama will introduce his proposal at a technology-focused middle school in Baltimore. The word you’ll hear out of his mouth the most this week is “priorities” — that’s what the White House wants the budget fight to be about. Obama’s priorities are economic growth, innovation, basic research, infrastructure — where Republican priorities are about deficit reduction first and foremost. The White House thinks it needs to cross a threshold for spending cuts, but that it can win the (future) battle about where the country needs to go.

2. THE NUMBERS. Accordingly, the budget reduction is not as drastic as most Republicans would like, in order to accommodate future-oriented spending initiatives like $148 billion for R&D and maintaining the maximum Pell Grant award. But it does outline $1.1 trillion in deficit reduction over 10 years made up of two-thirds spending cuts and one-third tax increases. In 2012, the deficit would reach $1.1 trillion, or 7 percent of GDP, before dropping to $768 billion in 2013. Things you won’t see: specific plans to address long-term entitlement reform.