Afternoon Update: Healthcare Roundup

I don't know if anyone heard, but there was a Supreme Court ruling of some minor importance this morning.  Stephen and I engaged in an extremely in-depth and substantive debate about it here.

Here are some additional perspectives on the case, and the health care issue in general:

1) The saga of Republicans having been for the individual mandate before they were against it is well-chronicled, but here's a fun fact: Jim DeMint, arguably the most tea-partying Tea Party member of the US Senate, wrote a letter to George W. Bush in 2007 urging the former president to:

“ensure that all Americans would have affordable, quality, private health coverage, while protecting current government programs. We believe the health care system cannot be fixed without providing solutions for everyone. Otherwise, the costs of those without insurance will continue to be shifted to those who do have coverage.”

Sounds an awful lot like what the Supreme Court justices just signed off on.  Nevertheless, Ezra Klein wonders: Do Republicans even want everyone to be covered anymore?

2) Francis Wilkinson of Bloomberg points out that public knowledge of what's in the health care bill is still pretty weak, with even Republicans liking most of the individual provisions in the law they so abhor.  A full 48 percent of Americans either thought the health care law had been repealed or were unsure.  Mitt Romney has outlined no alternative health care plan whatsoever.  Does he really want a fight on this?

3) Daniel Henninger of the Wall Street Journal argues that, if it is not eventually repealed, the Affordable Care Act will forever be swimming against the tide of history.   Ironically, in Mr. Henninger's analysis of a law that is allegedly at odds with an era defined by "a dazzling, unprecedented array of choices," he makes no mention of the fact that the Affordable Care Act is designed to provide exactly the kind of health care choices he supports.  Perhaps the WSJ should write a column excoriating all those Republican governors and state legislatures for refusing to establish the state-level health insurance exchanges that encourage health care competition and are a linchpin in the legislation.

4) Lastly, Alex MacGillis argues that with the legal distractions now put to bed, Obama must make a strong case for his signature domestic achievement.  

As a certain stuttering duck once said with significantly more difficulty... that's all, folks.  If you're looking to waste more of your own time reading about the health care ruling, I would recommend starting here, here, and here.