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Reaction in Tennessee to Health Care Ruling

WASHINGTON (AP) — Reaction in Tennessee to Thursday's Supreme Court ruling on the Affordable Care Act has been strong if somewhat predictable.

Within hours of the decision’s announcement, Governor Haslam had recorded and uploaded his reaction to YouTube.

“Our primary issues with Obama Care is that it takes away the flexibility for states to encourage healthy behavior, it will cost Tennessee hundreds of millions of dollars, and it does nothing to solve the crisis of the cost of health care in America. Now it’s up to Tennesseans and Americans to turn their attention to the November election. By electing Mitt Romney, we can be sure that the entire law can be repealed.”

State party spokesman Sean Braisted says Tennessee’s Democrats are concerned about the portion of the Supreme Court’s decision that deals with Medicare, but are otherwise happy with the ruling.

He describes as “political theater” Republican assertions that the Health Care Act can still be overturned in the fall by putting Mitt Romney in the White House.

“They’re saying if you hate Obama Care go for the architect of Obama Care. This (the ACA) was largely based on what they did in Massachusetts. So I think it’s -- you have to suspend disbelief a little bit in order to think that Mitt Romney is actually going to get in there and repeal Obama Care.

The U.S. Census shows about 15 percent of Tennesseans did not have health insurance as of 2010.