MD Leaders' Reaction to Supreme Court Decision

Maryland leaders reacted in a range of ways to a historic Supreme Court decision Thursday to uphold the Affordable Care Act, ranging from calling it an to a decision that will protect millions of lives.

GOV. MARTIN O’MALLEY: “By 2014, no American will be denied health care coverage because of a pre-existing condition.”

“The Supreme Court’s decision determined the law’s constitutionality, not whether the law is good policy.”

: "Before this law, every responsible American with health insurance was subsidizing the health care needs of the rest.”

“I think it’s going to be one of the, if not the biggest issue in the election. … It could be an albatross to hang around the president’s neck and make it difficult for re-election.”

: "It was pretty wild," Richardson said of the atmosphere in Washington Thursday morning. "People were either excited or terrified."

LT. GOV. ANTHONY BROWN: “Today SCOTUS took a stand to protect the lives of millions of people in Maryland & across America with its decision to uphold the ACA.”

: “The … [law] is complex,” he said. “Because it’s been bandied about as a political football, nobody knows quite what it is. Now that the Supreme Court has ruled this is the law of the land, we can start explaining it to the average citizen what it means. 

: “The decision is better than historic, it is caring. … People now can get the care they need without the fear of financial devastation."

"Sounds like a major increase in government spending, size and taxes. It's a worrisome impact on private job growth and maintenance, which puts pressure on for more government jobs; good for those who do not pay taxes and or get tax refunds; very unnerving for those who pay taxes..."