Did Justice Roberts just HAND the ELECTION to OBAMA??!!

I don't think the decision will have much of an effect at all. RWNJs will continue to rage and malign the health care bill regardless of the realities, so what's new about that? Those
who must look forward to paying something toward their medical care at the ER or share the costs of not being insured will complain and may elect to vote for Romney who has promised to restore the freeloaders' "rights" to free care at expense of taxpayers and those who have insurance. There may be quite a number of those, but they were destined to vote for a Republican candidate anyway, with or without the SCOTUS decision, their free care was guaranteed by Republican policies. So, little has changed, except those who
see how this new legislation will change the free stuff at the ER and lower the costs by forcing millions to pay for their care or share, they will likely vote for the one who brought this needed change to our attention. Game score... probably NET ZERO or a slight gain for Obama.

What is more important in the big picture, and surely to not be overlooked by millions who will vote, is that even a wholly "conservative" Chief Justice has made it clear twice in the month of June that he will not remain party to the destructive "issues" and deceptions created by the Party of No and the RWNJs who continue to block and badger all progress of our society. Roberts knows that the decisions from the Court while he is Chief will forever bear his name . The "Citizens United" absurdity is already like an albatross around his reputation, and he must have some concern for how history will define his tenure. Don't count on him to always be there for the Farside.

LOL! Sure sounds like people are going to have to pay a TAX for this. Are you sure these are not TAXES?

The first, and best known, of these seven taxes that will hit all Americans as a result of Obamacare is the Individual Mandate Tax (no longer concealed as a penalty). This provision will require a couple to pay the higher of a base tax of $1,360 per year, or 2.5% of adjusted growth income starting with lower base tax and rising to this level by 2016. Individuals will see a base tax of $695 and families a base tax of $2,085 per year by 2016.



Next up is the Medicine Cabinet Tax that took effect in 2011. This tax prohibits reimbursement of expenses for over-the-counter medicine, with the lone exception of insulin, from an employee’s pre-tax dollar funded Health Saving Account (HSA), Flexible Spending Account (FSA) or Health Reimbursement Account (HRA). This provision hurts middle class earners particularly hard since they earn enough to actually pay federal taxes, but not enough to make this restriction negligible.


The Flexible Spending Account (FSA) Cap, which will begin in 2013, is perhaps the most hurtful provision to the middle class. This part of the law imposes a cap of $2,500 per year (which is now unlimited) on the amount of pre-tax dollars that could be deposited into these accounts. Why is this particularly hurtful to the middle class? It is because funds in these accounts may be used to pay for special needs education for special needs children in the United States. Tuition rates for this type of special education can easily exceed $14,000 per year and the use of pre-tax dollars has helped many middle income families.

Another direct hit to the middle class is the Medical Itemized Deduction Hurdle which is currently 7.5% of adjusted gross income. This is the hurdle that must be met before medical expenses over that hurdle can be taken as a deduction on federal income taxes. Obamacare raises this hurdle to 10% of adjusted gross income beginning in 2013. Consider the middle class family with $80,000 of adjusted gross income and $8,000 of medical expenses. Currently, that family can get some relief from being able to take a $2,000 deduction (7.5% X $80,000 = $6,000; $8,000 –$6,000 = $2,000). An increase to 10% would eliminate the deduction in this example and if that family was paying a 25% federal tax rate, the real cost of that lost deduction would be $500.

The fifth new tax on the middle class, and all Americans, is the Health Savings Account (HSA) Withdrawal Tax Hike. This provision increases the additional tax on non-medical early withdrawals from an HSA from 10% currently to 20% beginning in 2013. This provision actually sets these accounts apart from Investment Retirement Accounts (IRAs) and other tax advantaged accounts, all of which remain with a 10% early withdrawal tax.

THE RACIST TAX,
Another regressive tax that is part of this law began in 2010 and that is the Indoor Tanning Services Tax, which places a 10% excise tax on people using tanning salons. While some may regard this as insignificant, the broader implication is that this act of taxation is a blatant move by the federal government to control the behavior of citizens. This provision, as does the Individual Mandate and as Justice Kennedy said during the oral arguments on the constitutionality of the law said, “….fundamentally changes the relationship between the federal government and the citizen.”

The seventh new tax that directly impacts the middle class, along with all citizens, is the Excise Tax on Comprehensive Health Insurance Plans or the “Cadillac” Health Insurance Plan Tax. These are plans that provide extensive coverage and that are generally fully paid for, or largely paid for, by employers. This provision imposes a 40% excise tax on the employer-paid premium on taxpayers who are covered by such plans, beginning in 2018. The reason it begins in 2018 is because most unionized workers are covered by plans that fall under this definition and a deferral was made to spare union members from this tax for at least a period of time.