Obamacare, also known as the Affordable Care Act, is unconstitutional. There, I said it. Yet despite my conservative, right sided point of view, I’m not one to call Obama a socialist because of Obamacare. The first reason Obamacare is unconstitutional is that you simply can’t force people to buy something. Yes, the Supreme Court ruled that Obamacare was constitutional as a tax, not as Obama had said that he intended it to be. The Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act on the grounds that the penalty issued to someone who does not buy Obamacare is a type of tax. In a 2009 ABC News interview with George Stephanopoulos, President Barack Obama clearly states that “[Obamacare] is not a tax increase.” It seems to me that Obama repeats the word “increase” paired with “tax” as if he is avoiding the word “tax” itself. He knows that the right wing conservatives would have a field day with this soundbite.

 Aside from the technicalities of the word “tax”, Obamacare is unconstitutional in that it originated in the Senate. This seems like a petty formality to anyone who isn’t familiar with the specifics of the Constitution–most United States citizens. Article 1, Section 7 of the United States Constitution, also known as the Origination Clause states that, “All Bills for raising Revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the Senate may propose or concur with Amendments as on other Bills.” Article 1, Section 7 of the United States Constitution renders the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional because it originated in the Senate.

 After questioning the legality of Obamacare, one must also ask, “Is it good?” In recent memory, becoming a physician is a highly coveted job that only the best can do, which makes sense. We need our doctors to be the best that they can be, and for being the best, they should be compensated accordingly. As part of Obamacare, Medicare is made cheaper, so physician’s practices are not being charged as much. This is drastically reducing the pay that doctors are receiving. In turn, the level of care being administered is inevitably going to drop. In saying so, I do not mean to characterize doctors as wealth-hungry, money-sucking maggots, but as professionals who should be paid for the best care that they can give. I think doctors fall right in with teachers, police officers, and firefighters in the category of professions that deserve the highest compensation; under Obamacare, quality of care will drop with doctor’s salaries.

 Being a conservative, we get a bad name as greedy, money-sucking maggots, like the ones I described before. This is not true, though. I can speak for fellow conservatives that we do not believe in denying anyone healthcare. I personally believe that although no one should be turned away, it’s only fair to give health care obviously to those most in need, as well as those who can pay. Most hospitals are in fact a business, a privately owned business. It’s better this way; with hospitals being owned and operated through the private sector, quality of care is heightened. Under the Affordable Care Act, this high standard of care, which has made our hospitals some of the finest in the world, is diminished significantly.

 That is where the system is most flawed. Yes, health care’s reach has expanded, but the quality of care has reduced. No matter what side you’re on–left or right, liberal or conservative–the quality of care that patients are receiving should be taken into consideration.