This Ruling Is Good for Your Health

Originally published at OtherWords.

The most conservative Supreme Court in history just upheld the Affordable Care Act as constitutional. This is a victory for American families. It means lower costs, more coverage, and that insurance companies can't rip us off anymore. It's the law.

Health care costs are a national crisis. The Court affirmed that our Constitution empowers our elected leaders to create national solutions.

The Court agreed that the rest of us shouldn't keep paying for free riders. Before the Affordable Care Act, when uninsured people got sick, many of them went to the emergency room. The rest of us ended up paying for their care in the form of higher premiums.

Republican politicians and their corporate funders have wasted taxpayer time and hundreds of millions of dollars attacking the law — and they've vowed to keep doing so. 

The Affordable Care Act isn't perfect. But it's much better than the old system. Before, more and more families were struggling with bankruptcy when their loved ones suffered serious illnesses. Health costs for small businesses were spiraling out of control. Children with pre-existing conditions were being denied health insurance coverage.

Despite years of polarized debate, a lot of people still don't know what's in this law. But this will soon change as senior citizens begin to receive a discount on prescription drugs, health insurance companies are required to provide free preventive care like check-ups and mammograms, and other important parts of the law start to kick in.

Here are three key things insurers won't be able to do any more:

• Impose lifetime limits on care,
• Discriminate against people with preexisting conditions, or
• Drop your coverage if you get sick.

The Affordable Care Act will improve health care across the nation by protecting us all against free riders and reining in insurance companies. Thanks to the Supreme Court's decision, virtually all parents will be able to take their kids to the doctor when they get sick.

Views expressed on this page are those of the authors and not necessarily those of Campaign for America's Future or Institute for America's Future