The much anticipated action on the federal healthcare law was not among the U.S. Supreme Court rulings released today, and is now expected to be released later this week. Governor Terry Branstad spoke about the upcoming ruling during his weekly news conference held on the road in Sioux City.
“We believe that Obamacare violates the Constitution of the United States, and while we await the court decision, one thing is clear — Obamacare is bad law — it’s bad for business, its’ bad for the economy and it’s bad for our state and it’s bad for the other states that are (paying for) all these additional folks under the Medicaid program,” Branstad says.
Medicaid is the state run program that provides insurance for the poor. Branstad, a Republican, says the law needs to go if the Supreme Court doesn’t strike it down. “We don’t know what the court will decide, but whatever parts of the law the justices fail to strike down, should be repealed,” Branstad says.
“Obamacare’s higher taxes and burdensome regulations are creating great uncertainty for businesses. It’s one of the biggest impediments for businesses and growth.” Branstad is traveling to several events in western Iowa today.
By Woody Gottburg, KSCJ, Sioux City