Sanders: ObamaCare ruling a ‘no-brainer’

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said on Sunday that the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding ObamaCare’s subsidies was the only logical conclusion to the case.

{mosads}“This was really a no-brainer,” Sanders told host George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.”

“Nobody thought that we should look at the … federal exchanges any differently than the state exchanges,” he added.

The Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision Thursday ensures that customers who purchased health insurance from federal exchanges in their states can continue doing so.

Sanders, a Democratic presidential candidate, argued on Sunday that the ruling helps Americans build upon ObamaCare’s success for better healthcare overall.

“We are the only major country on earth that doesn’t guarantee healthcare to all people as a right, and yet we end up spending much more than they do,” he said.

“So I do believe that we have to move toward a Medicare for all, single-payer system,” Sanders added. “I think it’s not going to happen tomorrow, but that should certainly be the goal.”

Sanders cited the cost of U.S. healthcare and the number of uninsured Americans as proof more work is needed.

“But here’s the point, today, despite the gains of the Affordable Care Act, which is certainly voted for, we still have 35 million Americans without any health insurance, and many more who are underinsured,” he said.

“Meanwhile, we end up spending almost twice as much per capita on healthcare as do the people of any other country,” Sanders added.

Sanders, a notable critic of the Supreme’s Court’s ruling on campaign spending in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, said he approved of its decisions last week.

“I have not been a great fan of the Supreme Court,” he said.

“Their decision on Citizens United, opening up the opportunity for billionaires to buy elections, will go down in history as one of the worst decisions ever made,” Sanders said.

“But I applaud them for the two decisions they made this week on the Affordable Care Act and on gay marriage,” he added.

The Supreme Court additionally ruled on Friday that states must recognize same-sex marriages nationwide.