Top Court To Examine Obama-Tester ‘Individual Mandate’
As the U.S. Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on President Barack Obama and Senator Jon Tester’s (D-MT) massive health care overhaul, Montana voters are reminded that Tester cast the deciding 60th vote to ram the measure, known as ObamaCare, into law.
The Associated Press reports:
The Supreme Court said Monday it will hear arguments next March over President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul – a case that could shake the political landscape just as voters are about to decide if Obama deserves another term. The decision to hear arguments in the spring allows plenty of time for a decision in late June, just over four months before Election Day. This sets up an election-year showdown over the White House’s main domestic policy achievement. The justices announced they will hear more than five hours of arguments, an extraordinarily long session, from lawyers on the constitutionality of a provision at the heart of the law and other related questions about the act. The central provision in question is the requirement that individuals buy health insurance starting in 2014 or pay a penalty.
Tester supported the onerous “individual mandate,” voting specifically to kill an amendment to remove the mandate from the overall bill.
Notably, a recent poll by MSU-Billings showed that an overwhelming 66.5 percent of respondents believe Tester and Obama’s overhaul will make the quality of health care worse.
“The Supreme Court’s decision to weigh in on ObamaCare is yet another reminder to folks in Montana that Senator Tester cast the 60th and deciding vote to make this onerous federal mandate the law of the land,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Chris Bond. “It’s clear that Montanans continue to reject the Obama-Tester health care overhaul, yet Tester continues to side with President Obama over the objections of his state’s families and small businesses.”
Background Information:
Tester Voted To Kill An Amendment That Would Have Removed The Individual Mandate From The Health Care Bill. “Baucus, D-Mont., motion to table (kill) the Ensign, R-Nev. amendment no. 3710 that would repeal provisions of the 2010 health care overhaul law that provide for IRS penalties for certain taxpayers that do not obtain basic health insurance coverage.” (H.R. 4872, CQ Vote #101: Motion agreed to 58-40: R 0-40; D 56-0; I 2-0, 3/25/10, Tester Voted Yea)
