SCOTUS: The Constitution Flatlines, Many Young People to go Bankrupt

Townhall Staff | June 28, 2012 11:25 AM

EDITOR'S NOTE: The following was written by spokesman for Young America's Foundation Ron Meyer.

Thanks to the Supreme Court’s lack of courage, youth unemployment will remain high for the years to come.

Any young person who chooses to not follow the mandate will be punished and fined—or supposedly “taxed”—for not having insurance.

And, despite the “under 26” provision, whoever will purchase a young person’s premium—be it an employer, an educator, a parent, or an individual—will see a drastic increase in costs. For young people, this means: less money, fewer jobs, lower wages, less freedom, higher tuition, angry parents, or all of the above.

Many parents, colleges, and employers won’t be able to afford insuring a young person. President Obama consistently advocates that young people should rely on someone else to pay for their health insurance, yet with prices this high, the costs will fall to individual young Americans.

ObamaCare—also known by the misnomer, “The Affordable Care Act”—will at least double healthcare costs for students and bankrupt many young Americans under 30. To subsidize the high costs for those nearing retirement, ObamaCare’s discriminatory price controls require those under 30 to pay 35 to 45 percent more for their insurance premiums.

And, thanks to the minimum coverage requirement (no limits to payouts), some colleges will even raise their student plan costs by more than 1,000 percent. Many institutions will drop their plans all together, leaving young people to pick up the tab.

Young people can no longer buy what they want. We’re forced to buy insurance that will take thousands out of our pockets. For young Americans, this ruling gives us much less freedom—both financial and personal.

Constitutionally, the law is even more worrisome for young Americans. The government can now mandate us to buy almost anything it deems necessary. The government can demand we buy anything, and then punish us with a tax if we don’t.

With decreasing control over personal purchases, we’re becoming a people of the government, not a government of the people.

When the Supreme Court fails, the Federalist Papers demand action from the people. We must ensure that this law is repealed and that laws like this are never passed again. If young Americans want a freer future, they need to vocally and actively oppose this anti-youth law.