SCOTUS upholding ACA a good sign for the nation

Today the Supreme Court of the United States upheld the Affordable Care Act and demonstrated how political leanings can be set aside to resolve the vital issues confronting Americans.

It is a good sign for our nation that a conservative chief justice, appointed by a Republican president, joined with more moderate members of the court to uphold the Affordable Care Act.

Congressman Patrick McHenry, and others who opposed the ACA, should now accept the ruling and join with Democrats, Moderates and Independents to adopt new federal policies that create jobs for North Carolina.

Just imagine what we could accomplish if we all stood together to create jobs by ending federal policies that export American jobs to Mexico, India and China. That’s the approach I will take in Congress. I will work with Democrats, Independents and Republicans to create jobs for the people of North Carolina.

Let me just share with you some of the benefits that Americans have already enjoyed under the Affordable Care Act:

• In North Carolina alone, 216,649 families will be receiving $18.6 million in rebates from insurance companies this summer, an average of $158 per family.
• Insurance companies can no longer cancel the policies of people who get sick.
• 54 million Americans have coverage of preventive service free of charge because of the ACA.
• The ACA eliminated the lifetime limit on healthcare coverage for 105 million Americans.
• If you are a young adult, you can now stay on your parents’ health care plan until age 26.
• Senior citizens now get a 50% discount on prescription drugs as part of Medicare Part D.

There will be many more benefits from the ACA in the coming years as the number of people who have health insurance is expanded and the cost is reduced.

I imagine that there are families all over North Carolina right now who are breathing a sigh of relief.

• They won’t lose their newfound health care or be faced with higher costs.
• Parents can take care of their young adult children.
• Seniors can continue to get lower cost prescription drugs.
• And hundreds of thousands of North Carolina families will continue to have access to lower cost health insurance now and in the future.

I fully expect now that Patrick McHenry will join with other extreme members of the Tea Party in Washington D.C. and begin to call for repeal of the ACA.

That will be such a shame and a waste of time because what we should all be focusing on now is creating jobs for the future and stopping federal policies that continue to send North Carolina jobs to Mexico, China and India.

Regardless of what side you were on, the ruling has been made and we need to move forward together to get our economy back on track and not waste time and energy on fighting battles of the past that only serve the purpose of dividing us further.