Why the President’s ObamaCare Maneuver May Backfire

By postponing the employer mandate, Obama has given millions of Americans the legal standing to sue.
 

By: David B. Rivkin Jr. and Lee A. Casey

President Obama’s announcement on July 2 that he is suspending the Affordable Care Act’s employer health-insurance mandate may well have exposed his actions to judicial review—even though that is clearly what he sought to avoid.

The health-care reform law’s employer mandate requires businesses with more than 50 employees to provide a congressionally prescribed set of health-insurance benefits or pay a penalty calculated at about $2,000 per employee. The law was to take effect on Jan. 1, 2014, but Mr. Obama has “postponed” its application until 2015. His aim, the administration said, was to give employers more time to comply with the new rules. But it was also seen as a way to avoid paying at least part of ObamaCare’s mounting political price in the 2014 congressional elections.

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The Economics of Health Care in America

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David Rivkin appeared on Bloomberg TV with infectious disease and public health specialist Celine Gounder, and Bloomberg’s Shannon Pettypiece and Pimm Fox to talk about the future of Medicaid expansion and the Affordable Care Act.

To watch the entire clip on Bloomberg TV, CLICK HERE >>

David Rivkin on the Supreme Court ruling on the Voting Rights Act

Congressional law attorney David Rivkin spoke on Bill Bennett’s “Morning in America,” about the court’s decision on voting rights. David compared the history of voting rights to the current societal environment. David clarifies the necessity of the previous laws and how they are no longer relevant, as they have succeeded.

 

Rivkin and Foley: An ObamaCare board answerable to no one

The ‘death panel’ is a new beast, with god-like powers. Congress should repeal it or test its constitutionality.

By David B. Rivkin Jr. and Elizabeth P. Foley

Signs of ObamaCare’s failings mount daily, including soaring insurance costs, looming provider shortages and inadequate insurance exchanges. Yet the law’s most disturbing feature may be the Independent Payment Advisory Board. The IPAB, sometimes called a “death panel,” threatens both the Medicare program and the Constitution’s separation of powers. At a time when many Americans have been unsettled by abuses at the Internal Revenue Service and Justice Department, the introduction of a powerful and largely unaccountable board into health care merits special scrutiny.

For a vivid illustration of the extent to which life-and-death medical decisions have already been usurped by government bureaucrats, consider the recent refusal by Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius to waive the rules barring access by 10-year old Sarah Murnaghan to the adult lung-transplant list. A judge ultimately intervened and Sarah received a lifesaving transplant June 12. But the grip of the bureaucracy will clamp much harder once the Independent Payment Advisory Board gets going in the next two years.

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David Rivkin renounces IRS probing

David Rivkin was a guest on Bill Bennett’s show “Morning in America” in order to break down the testimonies of conservative organization leaders about their experiences filing with the IRS. Rivkin illustrates the legal issues related to profiling specific organizations, as well as the reasons behind why the questionnaires violated constitutionally protected rights.

 

David Rivkin on the Constitutional Controversy of the IRS Scandal

Constitutional attorney David Rivkin spoke with Bill Bennett during his show “Morning in America” about the recent hearings for the IRS scandal. Rivkin presents the constitutional controversy, as well as speaks about the Lois Lerner hearing, the recusal, and the Holder Administration. Rivkin also presents how the treatment by the IRS is hindering First Amendment rights and predicts how the scandal will progress in the future.