Report On the National Health

Here's what a lot of Democrats are calling good news: The Supreme Court has upheld the health care law.  Chief  Justice John "Dudley Doo-Right" Roberts sided with the Court's liberal wing by saying the individual mandate was constitutional not under the commerce clause - not the clause allowing Congress to regulate private business transactions across state lines - but under the power to tax because of the penalty against anyone who doesn't buy health insurance.  But is there a way to enforce the penalty? MSNBC's Pete Williams was insisting there's no way to enforce the penalty as I was typing this, but a Supreme Court expert countered that there is.

Also, the Court ruled that the federal government can't drop the states entirely from the Medicaid program if the states can't meet any of the requirements in the health care law. But the White House isn't really bothered by this for some reason.

So, the Supreme Court somehow managed to make a fair ruling.  Fine.  That doesn't change the fact that the Court has doubled down on the Citizens United ruling, saying that even Montana can't regulate campaign finance spending on the state level.  And, as far as the health care law is concerned, that doesn't change the fact that people still have trouble understanding it . . . or that there's no public option.  

And I still don't understand if there's an enforceable penalty for not buying health insurance or not.    

Can we please just pass single-payer and be done with it?