The US Court and Obama

Published in El Universal
(Colombia) on 7 July 2012
by Darío Morón Díaz (link to originallink to original)
Translated from by Talisa Anderson. Edited by .

Edited by Janie Boschma

President Barack Obama has already initiated his campaign for reelection for a second term in office. Coincidentally, he has already had two triumphs that can affect his aspirations. The Supreme Court ruled in two cases that benefit Americans and therefore the president. One was a favorable ruling on the Health Act, and the other has to do with the partial rejection of the law of Arizona State Gov. Jan Brewer against immigrants.

The favorable ruling on the Health Act that Obama presented in 2010 in Congress is an important milestone in his political campaign. The late Democratic Sen. Edward Kennedy was the driving force in the Senate and succeeded in getting it voted favorably. The act allows for more and better health coverage for more than 40 million Americans that were uninsured and for those younger than 26 years of age, who will also be covered by the legislation.

The beneficiaries can now access coverage and acquire insurance without the inhibitory problem of pre-existing illnesses. The Act will increase better care for patients and result in a price reduction in health care.

Joseph Stiglitz, recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, habitually refers in his commentaries to health care problems in the United States and the high cost of medications, among other things. Although the Health Act does not specifically refer to the line of medications, surely by analogy there will be repercussions regarding this aspect.

Stiglitz has drawn observations that are also applicable on a global level. He explains the high cost of medications, affirming that they could be produced on a large scale that would lower the price. Nevertheless in a stingy decision, the manufacturers prefer that they be made at a high cost. Most notable are those medications used for catastrophic illnesses: patients with cancer and AIDS for whom it is difficult to access the medications due to their price. It is the prevalence of the market against the protection of health. The World Health Organization is constantly fighting against this infamous and unsupportive conduct, confronting the multinational pharmaceuticals and their well-oxygenated “lobby.”

The other aspect that favors Obama is the partial failure of the anti-immigration law of Arizona State Gov. Brewer. The Supreme Court, in a historic decision of five to four, with the vote of the conservative Chief of Justice John Roberts among the five magistrates, voted against the law. Polls reveal that more than 65 percent of Americans agree with the ruling. The decision supports migrants, the value added to Obama and even the American economy, due to a lack of workers; it is precisely those who migrate to the United States in search of the “American dream” that affect the economy.

Undoubtedly, the new Obama term is going to depend on the political effect of both laws.


El Presidente Barack Obama ya inició su campaña para la reelección a un segundo período presidencial. Coincidencialmente acaba de obtener dos triunfos que pueden incidir en su aspiración. La Corte Suprema de Justicia falló en dos casos que benefician a los norteamericanos y por ende al mandatario. Uno, el fallo favorable a la Ley sobre la Salud; el otro tiene que ver con el rechazo parcial a la Ley de la gobernadora Jan Brewer, del estado de Arizona, contra los inmigrantes.

El fallo favorable a la Ley sobre la Salud que Obama presentó en 2010, en el Congreso, es un importante jalón en su campaña política. El fallecido senador demócrata Edward Kennedy fue su impulsor en el Senado y logró que fuese votada favorablemente. La ley permite una mayor y mejor cobertura en salud para más de cuarenta millones de norteamericanos que estaban desprotegidos y para los menores de 26 años que también serán cobijados por la norma.

Los beneficiados ahora pueden acceder a la cobertura y adquirir un seguro sin el problema inhibitorio de las enfermedades preexistentes. La Ley de otro lado incrementará una mejor atención a los pacientes y ocasionará el abaratamiento de la atención en salud.

Joseph Stiglitz, premio Nobel de Economía, habitualmente en sus comentarios se refiere a los problemas de salud en los Estados Unidos, entre otros, al de los medicamentos de alto costo. Aun cuando la Ley de Salud no se refiere específicamente al renglón de los medicamentos, de seguro, que por analogía tendrá repercusión sobre ese aspecto.

Stiglitz ha formulado observaciones que también son aplicables a nivel global, él glosa el alto costo de los medicamentos afirmando que se podrían producir a gran escala y así los precios bajarían. No obstante los fabricantes prefieren, en una decisión mezquina, que sean elaborados a alto costo. Incuria más notable con aquellos medicamentos utilizados para las enfermedades catastróficas: los enfermos con cáncer o de sida, a quienes les es difícil acceder a ellos por su precio. Es la prevalencia del mercado contra la protección de la salud. La Organización Mundial de la Salud lucha permanentemente contra esa infame e insolidaria conducta enfrentándose a las multinacionales farmacéuticas y su “lobby” bien oxigenado.

El otro aspecto que favorece al mandatario Obama es el fracaso parcial de la Ley anti inmigración de la gobernadora Brewer, de Arizona. La Corte Suprema de Justicia, en una decisión histórica de cinco a cuatro, con la votación entre los cinco magistrados del Presidente de la Corte, el conservador John Roberts, se pronunció contra la ley. Las encuestas revelan que un porcentaje mayor al 65 por ciento de los ciudadanos de ese país está de acuerdo con el fallo. La decisión le conviene a los emigrantes y por el valor agregado al presidente Obama e inclusive a la economía norteamericana, en razón a que la falta de trabajadores, precisamente de aquellos que emigran a los Estados Unidos, en pos del llamado “sueño americano” afecta a la economía.

El nuevo período de Obama dependerá, indudablemente, del efecto político de ambas leyes.



*Ex Director de El Universal. Académico de Número de la Academia Nacional de Medicina, de la de Cartagena y de la de Historia.
This post appeared on the front page as a direct link to the original article with the above link .

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