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Responses to the Supreme Court decision

Politicians | Medical industry groups | Insurance companies
Nonprofit organizations | Business organizations

Barack Obama, president of the United States
"Earlier today, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act – the name of the health care reform we passed two years ago. In doing so, they've reaffirmed a fundamental principle that here in America – in the wealthiest nation on Earth – no illness or accident should lead to any family’s financial ruin."
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Mitt Romney, Republican candidate for president of the United States
"What the Court did not do on its last day in session I will do on my first day if elected President of the United States. And that is I will act to repeal Obamacare. … Obamacare was bad policy yesterday. It's bad policy today. Obamacare was bad law yesterday. It’s bad law today."
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John Boehner, speaker of the House of Representatives
"The president’s health care law is hurting our economy by driving up health costs and making it harder for small businesses to hire.  Today’s ruling underscores the urgency of repealing this harmful law in its entirety."
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Harry Reid, Senate Majority leader
"I’m pleased to see the Supreme Court put the rule of law ahead of partisanship, and ruled the Affordable Care Act constitutional."
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Nancy Pelosi, Democratic leader of the U.S. House of Representatives
"This decision is a victory for the American people.  With this ruling, Americans will benefit from critical patient protections, lower costs for the middle class, more coverage for families, and greater accountability for the insurance industry."
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Mitch McConnell, U.S. Senate minority leader
"Two and a half years ago, a Democrat president teamed up with a Democrat-led Congress to force a piece of legislation on the American people that they never asked for, and that has turned out to be just as disastrous as many of us predicted. Amid economic recession, a spiraling federal debt, and accelerating increases in government health spending, they proposed a bill that has made these problems worse. …"
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Reince Priebus, Republican National Committee chairman
"Today’s Supreme Court decision sets the stakes for the November election. Now, the only way to save the country from ObamaCare’s budget-busting government takeover of health care is to elect a new president. Under President Obama’s signature legislation, health care costs continue to skyrocket, and up to 20 million Americans could lose their employer-based coverage."
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Ezekiel J. Emanuel, M.D., former White House adviser, vice provost and professor at the University of Pennsylvania; and Theodore Ruger, professor, University of Pennsylvania Law School
"Over all, this is a great day for the American health care system. Millions of Americans will have access to affordable care. And it removes significant uncertainty about how the health care system will evolve, allowing everyone — physicians, hospitals, insurers, governments, and others — to focus on improving our health care system."
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Jeremy A. Lazarus, M.D., president, American Medical Association
"The American Medical Association has long supported health insurance coverage for all, and we are pleased that this decision means millions of Americans can look forward to the coverage they need to get healthy and stay healthy."
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Physicians for a National Health Program
"Although the Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the unfortunate reality is that the law, despite its modest benefits, is not a remedy to our health care crisis: (1) it will not achieve universal coverage, as it leaves at least 26 million uninsured, (2) it will not make health care affordable to Americans with insurance, because of high co-pays and gaps in coverage that leave patients vulnerable to financial ruin in the event of serious illness, and (3) it will not control costs."
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Rich Umbdenstock, president and CEO, American Hospital Association
"Today’s historic decision lifts a heavy burden from millions of Americans who need access to health coverage. The promise of coverage can now become a reality. The decision means that hospitals now have much-needed clarity to continue on their path toward transformation. But transforming the delivery of health care will take much more than the strike of a gavel or stroke of a pen. It calls for the entire health care community to continue to work together, along with patients and purchasers, to implement better coordinated, high-quality care."
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Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., president and CEO, Association of American Medical Colleges
"The AAMC is extremely pleased that the Supreme Court has upheld virtually all of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  This law is an important step toward an improved health care system that gives all Americans access to the care they need when they need it. However, we are closely examining the court’s ruling as it relates to the Medicaid expansion."
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David L. Bronson, M.D., F.A.C.P., president of the American College of Physicians
"While the American College of Physicians (ACP) did not take a position on the constitutional issues before the court, we believe that the individual insurance mandate, combined with the ACA’s subsidies to buy qualified coverage through state marketplaces (exchanges), Medicaid expansion to more low-income persons, and consumer protections against insurance practices that deny or limit coverage, are the most effective ways to expand coverage to nearly all Americans."
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Sr. Carol Keehan, D.C., president and CEO, Catholic Health Association of the United States
"We are pleased that, based on an initial read of the ruling, the ACA has been found constitutional and will remain in effect. CHA has long supported health reform that expands access and coverage to everyone. We signed onto amicus briefs encouraging the Court to find in favor of the ACA’s individual mandate and the Medicaid expansion."
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National Nurses United
"The Supreme Court decision should not be seen as the end of the efforts by health care activists for a permanent fix of our broken healthcare system."
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Karen A. Daley, Ph.D., M.P.H., R.N., F.A.A.N., president, American Nurses Association
"This decision means that millions of people will have access to the basic health care and preventive services that they’ve lacked."
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Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, president and CEO, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
"Today’s ruling by the Supreme Court allows the nation to move forward on the road to better health. The Affordable Care Act, when fully implemented, will expand the number of people with health coverage, introduce strategies for improving the quality of health care, and support plans to make our communities healthier places."
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Karen Davis, president, The Commonwealth Fund
"Today, the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. This decision allows state and federal policymakers across the country to move forward in their work implementing the provisions of the law. Over the next decade, 32 million previously uninsured people could gain affordable and comprehensive health insurance coverage as a result of the law."
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Nancy Brown, CEO, American Heart Association
"The historic decision handed down today will benefit America’s heart health for decades to come. Questions about the Affordable Care Act’s constitutionality have overshadowed the law’s progress. With this ruling, that uncertainty has finally been put to rest."
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Jonathan Young, chairman, National Council on Disability
"For millions of Americans with disabilities who rely on home and community based services to live, learn and earn in America, the ruling today by the Supreme Court on the Affordable Care Act is arguably the most significant decision since passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act twenty-two years ago."
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Mark Covall, president and CEO, National Association of Psychiatric Health Systems
"The Supreme Court decision continues the positive national movement towards ensuring that mental health and addiction are on par with other medical conditions.... The ACA requires – for the first time in federal law – that the essential benefit package include “mental health and substance abuse” as one of 10 required coverage categories. It also extends the federal mental health parity law to small businesses and individuals inside and outside of the health exchanges."
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Georges C. Benjamin, M.D., F.A.C.P., F.A.C.E.P. (E), executive director, American Public Health Association
"Today’s historic ruling by the nation’s highest court marks a significant milestone in our national efforts to improve the delivery and financing of health services in the U.S. and to promote health and wellness rather than disease treatment."
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Bruce Siegel, M.D., M.P.H., president and CEO, National Association of Public Hospitals and Health Systems
"We are pleased by the Court's decision today to uphold the Affordable Care Act's (ACA's) individual mandate, which will broadly expand health care coverage. We also are pleased that the decision retains other positive elements of the ACA, including initiatives to promote innovation, preventive care, and community-based collaborations. But our initial assessment of the decision leaves us concerned by its potential to limit Medicaid expansion, which could strand millions of our most disadvantaged people without access to basic health care coverage."
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National Rural Health Association
"What does the court’s decision mean to rural America?  Whether you support or oppose the health care bill, it is important to know that many provisions were included in the bill that benefit both the rural provider and patient. …"
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Nancy Brown , CEO of the American Heart Association
"The historic decision handed down today will benefit America’s heart health for decades to come. Questions about the Affordable Care Act’s constitutionality have overshadowed the law’s progress. With this ruling, that uncertainty has finally been put to rest."
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John R. Seffrin, CEO of the American Cancer Society and American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network
"The U.S. Supreme Court today upheld the constitutionality of provisions of the Affordable Care Act that are critical to ensuring that people with cancer and other life-threatening chronic diseases can access quality, affordable health care."
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Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America
"This decision will have a profound and concrete impact on millions of people’s lives. Affordable, quality health care will now be available to millions of women who had no coverage or inadequate coverage before. Today, we are closer than ever to realizing the promise of health care for all.  …"
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Susan G. Komen for the Cure
"The Supreme Court’s ruling preserves provisions that Susan G. Komen for the Cure has supported for many years--that is, providing access to and coverage for quality preventive programs as well as affordable and quality treatment for women and men facing breast cancer. …"
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UnitedHealth Group
"Health care modernization did not begin and must not end with the enactment of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.  UnitedHealth Group strongly supports making high-quality health care accessible and affordable for everyone. …"
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WellPoint Inc.
"From the early days of the debate on health care reform, we’ve stated our desire to build a health care system that provides access to all Americans and ensures high quality, affordable health care. …"
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Kaiser Permanente
"Today’s Supreme Court decision on the federal health care reform law resolves much of the legal uncertainty over implementation of the law’s provisions. …"
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Aetna Group
"Today’s Supreme Court decision does not change our business strategy or commitment to system reforms that make quality care more affordable and accessible. We are prepared for the changes ahead and will continue to fully comply with the requirements of the Affordable Care Act. …"
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Humana Inc.
"Humana believes that all Americans deserve affordable, quality health care. While the company will take time to fully analyze the impact of the Supreme Court’s ruling, the decision does not affect current coverage for Humana members. …"
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Dan Danner, president and CEO, National Federation of Independent Business
"While we are certainly disappointed, NFIB respects the decision to uphold the individual mandate by the Supreme Court. Clearly this mandate has now become a tax on all Americans and a broken campaign promise from President Obama not to raise taxes. …"
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Thomas J. Donohue, president and CEO, U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and CEO
"While we respect the Court's decision, today’s Supreme Court ruling does not change the reality that the health care law is fundamentally flawed. Left unchanged, it will cost many Americans their employer-based health insurance, undermine job creation, and raise health care costs for all."
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John J. Castellani, president and CEO, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA)
"We respect the Court’s decision and recognize that there will be ongoing policy discussions about the future of health care in America, and about the impact of today’s decision on the health care law. We will work with Congress and the Administration on a bipartisan basis to address these important issues and will continue to advocate for an environment that fosters medical innovation and access to new medicines. We will also continue to work for necessary changes to the Affordable Care Act, such as the repeal of the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB)."
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Curtis Rooney, president, Healthcare Supply Chain Association
"Now that the Supreme Court has rendered its decision on the Affordable Care Act and the national conversation can return to healthcare reform centered on cost containment, hospitals and healthcare providers will rely more than ever on the billions of savings that their group purchasing organizations (GPOs) provide every year."
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