How Obama and the Democrats failed to defend the universal right to healthcare

[zipplewrath]

22. It's done no such thing

That reality is that every step of the way, including the SCOTUS decision, Obamacare reinforced the right of everyone to health care.

ACA is basically silent on the right to health care. All it did was to establish an obligation to have health insurance. And it was even very specific on who was excluded from that obligation. It did not establish that there was a universal "right" to health insurance. And the SCOTUS decision clearly allowed the states NOT to extend health insurance (in the form of expanded medicaid) to a segment of the population who would otherwise go without insurance. The ACA also said the states are not obligated to establish exchanges.

There has been no right to health care established. Heck, the details of ACA clearly lay out who must pay for what, and if you can't pay, you can be denied health care in many instances. Health care providers can, and are, demanding co-pays and out of pocket limits up front prior to providing health care, and are allowed to do so (and always have). There is also no requirement for all health care providers to accept all forms of the insurance that the citizens are obligated to have. And medicaid exclusion is not uncommon.

ACA did alot of small and nice things, but establishing a right to health care isn't among them.