Rep. Brian Babin (R-TX) has introduced the “SCOTUSCare Act,” presumably borrowing the name from Justice Antonin Scalia’s dissent in the King v. Burwell case that upheld Affordable Care Act subsidies. Scalia observed that the Supreme Court has rewritten the Affordable Care Act so often that “we should just start calling this law SCOTUSCare.”
Babin’s bill would force Supreme Court justices and their staff to enroll in ObamaCare, evidently through the federal exchange, although now that Chief Justice Roberts has decreed there is no difference between the federal and state exchanges, that shouldn’t be an important detail. Then again, the punch line might be the Roberts court deciding the SCOTUSCare Act means the exact opposite of what it says. Why not?
“As the Supreme Court continues to ignore the letter of the law, it’s important that these six individuals understand the full impact of their decisions on the American people,” said Babin, as quoted by The Hill. “That’s why I introduced the SCOTUScare Act to require the Supreme Court and all of its employees to sign up for ObamaCare. By eliminating their exemption from ObamaCare, they will see firsthand what the American people are forced to live with.”
It’s funny how nobody with the political mojo to escape from ObamaCare seems willing to participate in it, especially since Chief Justice John Roberts seems so convinced its creators just wanted everybody to have wonderful, affordable health care, erasing the very text of the law with their radiant good intentions. If it’s so magical, you’d think Roberts and his concurring justices would rush to embrace it.
Many media reports skeptical of the SCOTUSCare Act describe it as an act of retribution or revenge against the Supreme Court. How can escorting the justices into the fabulous wonderland of ObamaCare possibly be construed as an act of vengeance?
There have previously been efforts to terminate the special subsidies given to our imperial overlords and their staffers for ObamaCare. “Congress needs to get right with the law. When Americans struggle under the burdens of laws such as ObamaCare, they don’t have the luxury of not complying,” said Rep. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) of his No Exemption for Washington from ObamaCare Act.
“Congress must abide by the laws that they pass, and putting the political elite above both the law and their constituents is unacceptable. This is a simple issue of fairness: members of Congress, their staff, and the political elite should not be given special relief from the harmful effects of ObamaCare.”
Among the little tricks spotlighted by DeSantis was the way Congress transformed itself into a “small business” so it could buy insurance for representatives, staffers, and their families through the D.C. Small Business Exchange.