‘Obamacare’ legal [Telegraph-Herald (Dubuque, IA)]

ruling at a glance The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act Thursday. In plain English, the high court ruled: 1. The penalty that someone must pay if they refuse to buy health insurance is a type of tax that Congress may impose because of its constitutional taxing powers. 2. The Court decided that the provision requiring states to comply with new eligibility requirements for Medicaid or risk losing funding is constitutional as long as states would only lose new funds if they didn't comply, rather than all of their funding. 3. With the survival of the individual requirement, the Court did not need to decide what other parts of the statute were constitutional. Sources: The Associated Press and Bloomberg Law

The Supreme Court upheld President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act on Thursday.

The decision means the historic health-care overhaul will continue to go into effect over the next several years, affecting the way that Americans receive and pay for their personal medical care.

Local, medical and political reaction to the ruling varied.

* We are on the front line. We see people throughout the day, many times a day, who have not had access to affordable medical and dental care. Hopefully, this will be the pass for them to receive that. They can prevent a lot of conditions they may be on the road to developing, get some direction and help with goal-setting. - Julie Woodyard, executive director of Crescent Community Health Center.

* The ruling has been a long time coming. It's nice to see (Obama) follow through on what was his

campaign promised. How it affects all of us I guess remains to be seen. - Josh Pick, Shullsburg, Wis.

* The only way the law is constitutional is by doing what the president denied, that the penalty was a tax. The legislation was sold in Congress and to the country under false pretenses. - Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa.

* Overall we're pleased with the ruling. Both Iowa Health System and Finley have been investing millions of dollars carrying out the provisions of the act as we believed the policy would have been upheld. We very much believe the accountable care organization we have developed as a system and with Finley participating will have a dramatic impact on our ability to deliver high-quality care. Greater access to health-care providers at an earlier stage is a key piece to our accountable care organization. - David Brandon, CEO of The Finley Hospital

* I think it's a nice idea, but for younger couples and small businesses it's going to be hard to afford to insure everyone. I wish the cost of living would go down so it would be easier to afford, but that's just how it is right now. - Pam Craugh, Platteville, Wis.

* Some say this is a victory for President Obama, or a victory for us on this side (Democrats). I don't see it that way. I think it's a victory for ensuring that every American is secure in knowing they will not be denied because they get cancer, for example. - Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa

* At Mercy, we're working every day to improve the value of health care in our community. We're guided by a "triple aim" - simultaneously achieving better health for the population as a whole, improving the individual experience of care and reducing the per-capita cost. These imperatives don't hinge on federal law; they derive from basic societal needs. Our commitment to the "triple aim" goals is the same today as it was yesterday. - Russell Knight, president and CEO of Mercy Medical Center-Dubuque.

* This decision is good news for the middle class and affordable health care. It makes me think of thousands of Iowans like my nephew, Tucker. Tucker survived a fight with liver cancer at age 2 because his family had health insurance. But his parents lived in constant fear of losing their jobs because Tucker would be denied new insurance due to his pre-existing condition. The health care reform law ended those fears, and this decision means many other critical reforms will stay in place. - Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa.

* Overall, people will have better access to health care, and preventive medicine is an aspect of this law. Early treatment helps with keeping costs down and keeping people healthy. - Mike Berg, chief operating officer of Dubuque Internal Medicine.

* The Supreme Court handed down a disastrous decision to uphold President Obama's destructive health care law, which means a future of higher costs, higher taxes and increasing debt for Iowans. The current health care system is nothing but a federal takeover and continues to exceed its budgeted amount every day. - Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad (R).

* We have been busy implementing the current components of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act since it was signed into law in 2009. Now that we know the Supreme Court decision, we can continue our mission of providing superior health care for families and businesses in the tri-state area. - John Tallent, CEO of Medical Associates Clinic & Health Plans

* Today's Obamacare decision establishes that there is no area of Americans' private lives that is off limits to federal intrusion and control. Freedom took a real body blow. - Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis.

* Our current health care system is unsustainable, and physicians must remain engaged in discussions with Congress and our lawmakers at the statehouse as these reforms are implemented. We stand committed to always seeking ways to improve care for our patients. - Dr. Rob Lee, president of Iowa Medical Society.

* I never saw the Affordable Care Act as the be-all. It's not a perfect bill. It's going to require all of us working together to figure out what works, what doesn't work, and make improvements along the way. - Rep. Ron Kind, D-Wis.

TH staff writer Michael LoCicero contributed