South Carolina was among the first states to join a 26-state lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the Health Care Reform act, within days after President Obama signed the act into law in 2010. Also, the state has yet to put into effect the health care exchanges that are required under the law.
So after the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that the law is constitutional, under Congress' taxing powers, SC Attorney General Alan Wilson quickly denounced the decision, saying in a written statement the court had carved out a new authority.
"The Obama Administration, through Congress, has now been allowed to pass this tax on all Americans. It was, and is, a wolf in sheep's clothing," Wilson said.
Gov. Nikki Haley added that what was bad policy yesterday is still bad policy today.
"This is a tax increase for the people of South Carolina, it's a tax increase for the people of America, it's a job killer," Haley said.
But the CEO of Grand Strand Regional Medical Center said the ruling is good news for people with medical conditions that prevent them from buying insurance.
"It's also very good news for people who are afraid their coverage may be limited or dropped because of their health condition and they're the people that need it the most," said Doug White.
At the same time, White said he's also concerned about how the court has defined the law as a tax, and whether that could lead to taxes on things like foreign cars or people who eat potato chips.
Since the law's major provisions don't go into effect until 2014, White said for now, Thursday's Supreme Court ruling won't change anything.
"Hospitals across the county continue to do a great job of meeting the needs of our visitors and residents and this act and the supreme court decision really doesn't impact that."
White said about 500,000 of the 760,000 currently uninsured South Carolinians will be covered under the act, if it continues to be in effect two years from now.
But he said the real test will be in this year's presidential race, and he thinks the law will undergo changes between now and 2014.
