"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."

Be careful SCOTUS. The Affordable Care Act is like Obi-wan Kenobi:

"If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful than you could possibly imagine."

Why? Because if you can't devise a regulated, free market solution for a public good that comprises one-sixth of the American economy, the only available alternative becomes a Single-Payer "Medicare for All" plan.

Gail Collins of The New York Times agrees:

"It was basically a Republican idea to begin with, and look what happened. If this is thrown out in court, compromise will never get any traction again. Single payer! Single payer! Maybe you could have wooed me into the middle a few years ago, but no more. No more. Next time around we stop talking about complicated reforms and just go with Medicare for everybody."

Tell the Supreme Court: I support Health Care Reform!

Tell the Supreme Court: I support Health Care Reform!: Tell the Supreme Court: I support Health Care Reform!: http://dccc.org/support-hcr

The Contraception Red Herring

Matt Miller writes about where the real issue around the whole contraception coverage in health insurance plans actually is:

"It’s important not to let this contraception clash pass without understanding the true source of the problem. It’s not President Obama’s debauched liberal drive to shower teens with condoms and morning-after pills. It’s not the bishops’ urge to enforce a moral code from which most of their flock dissents. A sane America would never deny women who work for Catholic employers access to the contraception that every other health plan offers — but it also wouldn’t force Catholic employers to offer coverage that violates their beliefs.

Instead, a sane America would solve this whole problem by moving into the 21st century and making sure people can buy group health coverage on their own and not tied to their employers."

Getting rid of employer-based coverage was one of the principles of the Wyden-Bennett Bill as well. A lot has been said about improving the Affordable Care Act. Nothing would make me happier than opening up the health insurance exchanges to all Americans and concurrently eliminating the requirement for employers to provide health insurance to employees. This whole contraception issue would never have come up if that had been done from the beginning.

Religion & the individual mandate | The Incidental Economist

As the court cases and appeals of the Affordable Care Act move on through the system, I have a feeling this particular charge is going to gain traction on the Right.

Gosh, Could Obamacare Be Working? | The New Republic

Now this is interesting. It's hard to argue with this graph.

The Incidental Economist - Why the cheers mattered...

This is very well said and truly explains the context and the issues at hand.

Why not national single payer now?

Great question. The Incidental Economist explains it has more to do with politics than health care or policy.

Breakdown of Appeals Court Ruling on Health Care Reform

The Incidental Economist breaks down nicely the nuances of the court ruling on the Affordable Care Act.

Additionally, Ezra Klein has an informative and detailed post on what the future holds for health care reform.

How the ACA will affect employer-sponsored insurance - The Incidental Economist

Interesting post at The Incidental Economist about how the ACA will affect employer-sponsored insurance. Check it out.

Single payer resources - The Incidental Economist

The Incidental Economist blog posts some great sources of information on what a single-payer healthcare system would actually cost. It's worth checking out if you're curious as to whether or not a single-payer healthcare model would solve the nation's deficit problems. Chances are it will, but don't tell any Republicans because they're conditioned to ignore that fact.

News flash! We haven’t been good about controlling health care spending!

News flash! We haven’t been good about controlling health care spending!

As Physicians Change, Will the AMA?

As Physicians Change, Will the AMA?

Children lose if health bill fails | ajc.com

Great op-ed piece that really explains the impact to the positive parts of the Affordable Care Act if the lawsuits against the individual mandate are upheld. Definitely worth reading.

Incredibly bold or incredibly stupid...

So let me get this straight: Making false claims like "pulling the plug on grandma" are good. Making valid claims like "turning Medicare into a voucher program" are bad. Can someone please explain to me where this kind of logic comes from?

Vermont passes single-payer healthcare bill...

Vermont takes the first step to go above and beyond what is called for in the Affordable Care Act.

In the meantime, New Jersey is gathering information about how to set up the exchange. You can also put your two cents in and complete the Rutgers CSHP survey yourself.

Vermont Senate approves single-payer plan

WOOHOO!!!!!

"You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em..."

Ezra Klein writes a great opinion piece detailing the history of health-care reform in the United States and calling the Republican Party's bluff on their "alternative". He says it's "Put-up-or-shut-up time" for Republicans. Personally, I think their position is more like that of "The Gambler".

Debunking the "Lie of the Year"

Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius wrote an informative op-ed piece in today's Washington Post about how the Affordable Care Act is anything but a government takeover of healthcare. Many excellent points raised, although I'm sure many people will still continue believing PolitiFact's 2010 Lie of the Year.

Implementation Timeline - Kaiser Health Reform

Everything you need to know about the provisions in the Affordable Care Act:

Implementation Timeline - Kaiser Health Reform

So I wasn't the only person that knew this was true!

Posted on Kaiser Health News and then Ezra Klein's blog at The Washington Post, which is where I first saw it.