Poll: Pete Stark Wants To Uphold Obamacare. Do You?

The Supreme Court is currently considering whether to uphold or overturn key provisions of The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010, commonly called Obamacare. 

On Tuesday, Congressman Pete Stark, the democrat who represents San Leandro and a staunch supporter of the President's plan, listened to some of the arguments before the court .

Afterwards he sent out an email:

"The topic for the Court was the constitutionality of the individual responsibility component of the law. This provision requires people to choose between insuring themselves, or paying a penalty to help cover the cost of the health care they will inevitably need.

Without the individual responsibility requirement, it would be very difficult to enforce two key consumer protections: guaranteed insurance for all comers and a ban on insurers denying a person health care coverage because of a pre-existing condition."

Conservatives strongly oppose the act, as captured in a commentary in the journal National Affairs:

" 'Obamacare' poses one of the gravest challenges to republican self-government since the Civil War. It establishes a vast array of new entitlements, cost controls, and regulations over the health sector that comprises one-sixth of the U.S. economy. And it raises profound constitutional concerns — not only because of its sheer scope, but also because of the authority it claims for the federal government.

Politico, the insider news service in Washington. DC, excerpted seven key moments in Tuesday's arguments before the court.

What do you think? Leave a comment and vote in our poll.

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