AUGUSTA, Maine — A group of 31 state Democratic lawmakers signed a legal document Wednesday in support of the federal health reform law.
The legislators joined 452 signers from 49 states in backing the constitutionality of the federal Affordable Care Act in a lawsuit before the U.S. Supreme Court. The document, known as an amicus, or “friend of the court” brief, was organized by the Progressive States Network and Constitutional Accountability Center. An amicus brief allows people and organizations who are not party to the case on appeal to submit their thoughts to justices.
Maine last January joined a multistate lawsuit against the federal health care overhaul, which challenged a provision mandating that all citizens purchase health insurance. In August, a federal appeals court struck down the so-called individual mandate but did not invalidate the overall law. The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling in June.
Rep. Sharon Treat, D-Hallowell, has led the effort in Maine to sign the brief. “I look forward to 2014 when insurance will be even more affordable and easier to purchase through the state-based health exchange marketplace, which the law creates,” she said in a statement. “I don’t understand why we would want to reject millions of dollars in tax credits for hardworking Maine people so that they can purchase health insurance, nor why we would reject the insurance marketplace that small businesses will be able to use to compare policies and shop for affordable coverage.”
Oh yes, soooooooo much cheaper, Rep. Sharon Treat, how can it be cheaper than the zero I’m paying now for my health insurance?
Is there a place we can find out which legislators signed this?
I don’t know . However our Founding Fathers John Adams and Thomas Jefferson endorced the Act For Disabled Seamen.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Act_for_the_relief_of_sick_and_disabled_seamen
Quite similar to Mandated Health Care.
{ Darn Socialist} !!!
That is stretching the word similar.
Something fishey here.
They’re all dems.
Repubs
What do you mean?
Where does Sharon Treat think all the millions of dollars in tax credits are coming from?
If the rich payed their fair share of taxes………..it would be a moot point. The employers who choose to go home with millions instead of paying livable wages and health care for the employess…………..greed.
The Affordable Care Act is great. Under the law, preventive procedures like colonsocopies and mamograms are no longer subject to insurance policy deductibles. But, that feature doesn’t necessarily apply to folks who already have healthcare insurance. Those policies can be “grandfathered”, meaning those deductibles still have to paid by those who have been faithfully purchasing their coverage all along. How nice.
It seems like there’s always a “but” in these government-mandated “benefits”. When you forcefully add 32 million additional people to the healthcare insurance ranks, somebody’s gotta pay. I’m thinking this isn’t the last “but” that ‘s going to bite us in the healthcare butt.
Progressive States Network is the left-wing equivalent of the conservative group ALEC.
You know, the ALEC that has the left howling about the hideousness of this group providing model legislation for conservative issues.
Yet, this is precisely what Progressive States Network does for the left.
What flaming hypocrites.
These 31 state leaders need to be recalled as soon as possible ……!!
So, where are the briefs for the conservative side to repeal the NON Affordable Health Care Act, otherwise known as Obama-does-not-care Act? Sharon Treat is wrong–this will not provide affordable healthcare for Mainers/Americans. It will simply add to the taxpayers paying for the added people on welfare. A national healthcare program is not the right thing for us at all.
I guess Rep. Treat along with the other 30 legislators are all for the increase in taxes we will see in 2013 to pay for Obamcare.