Local Obamacare Opinions Differ

Temple Terrace Patch readers had mixed opinions Thursday after the Supreme Court ruled in support of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act by a 5-4 vote.

Dubbed Obamacare, the reform package mandates that everyone pay into the health care coverage system. It requires individuals not covered by an employer or the government to buy health insurance.

The ruling focused on the constitutionality of President Obama's health care law.

Here's a sampling of what Temple Terrace Patch readers had to say about the court ruling:

“Unconstitutional or not, Obamacare is the wrong policy for reforming health care and the wrong direction for America,” wrote Temple Terrace resident and City Councilman David Pogorilich on the Temple Terrace Patch Facebook page. “Individual liberties and the doctor-patient relationship took a step back today.”

Local reader said he wasn’t sure what to think.

“As far as the law goes, I have mixed feelings,” he wrote in a comment to posted Thursday. “Being older I like the fact that I will have guaranteed coverage and benefits mostly paid for by young tax payers… I feel sorry for the burden this is going to put on the young, but hey, they put these people in power so I guess they shoulder it. I worry less and less about the generations that follow me as I get older. Perhaps it is greed, perhaps it is apathy, perhaps it is they get what they deserve, I'm not really sure.”

Temple Terrace reader outlined the outcomes of the Thursday decision.

“Here is what the Supreme Court decision means for you:
– You have to buy health insurance or be subject to a tax (no penalties by the way) 
– If you are under 26, you can get health insurance from the plan your parents use. 
– If you’re on Medicare, you can get free mammograms. 
– If you have what’s called a pre-existing condition, you can get health insurance. 
– Insurance companies can’t deny you coverage even if you get sick and make a mistake on your health insurance application.”

JW responded with a comment that free means government subsidized.

“One thing I wish Obama and supporters of the law like Minnie would stop doing is calling things like Mammograms free,” he wrote. “They are subsidized, paid by someone else, either through increased taxes, which Obamacare has now become under the Supreme court ruling, increased insurance premiums or reduced benefits.”

The Hillsborough County Republican Party (HCRP) voiced concerns and disappointment Thursday.

“While we have to respect the decision rendered by our highest court, the decision does not make common sense,” said HCRP Chairman Art Wood in a press release. “The Obama administration is on record as saying Obamacare is NOT a tax, yet their lawyers argued that way. Few, if any, Americans welcome more taxes.”

The outcome didn’t sway in any direction, according to an official statement emailed to Temple Terrace Patch shortly after the decision Thursday: “Moffitt Cancer Center will remain focused on our mission. We will continue to work with all involved to control costs and improve the quality of care, research and prevention.”

What do you think about Obamacare? Let us know in the comments section.