Likely U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney Thursday attacked the Supreme Court decision on healthcare reform and vowed to repeal it.
In a statement in Washington following the ruling that upheld the law's individual mandate to purchase health insurance, Romney called the law "bad policy" and "bad law."
"I agree with the dissent. What the court did not do in the last day of its session I will do [the first day I'm in office] … repeal and replace Obamacare."
Romney said the court determined the healthcare reform law did not violate the constitution. "It did not say it is good law or good policy. It was bad policy yesterday and it's bad policy today. It was bad law yesterday and bad law today."
Romney said the healthcare reform bill will impose $500 billion in new taxes on Americans and cut Medicare by $500 billion -- figures that are disputed by supporters of the law.
"It adds trillions to deficits and national debt … and pushes these obligations to coming generations," he said.
Romney also called the law a "job killer" that puts the "federal government between you and your doctor."
Other opponents, including some Republican lawmakers and groups representing businesses, called on Congress to repeal the law.
"The Supreme Court made clear today that the American people will be the ultimate judge of Obamacare. As Republicans, we will redouble our efforts to repeal this job-killing law," U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, said in a statement. "We must replace it with reforms that expand access and enhance care without adding trillions of dollars to the national debt and inserting Washington bureaucrats between Americans and their doctors."
The high court's decision drew praise from some Democrats in Congress as well as from the AARP and the American Federation of Government Employees union.
"The Supreme Court decision upholding the Affordable Care Act is a victory for everyone who believes all Americans are entitled to affordable, quality health care," John Gage, the union's president, said in a statement.
Now that the Supreme Court has upheld the law, Gage said, "It's time for Republican leaders in Congress to stop their campaign to repeal the law and to focus instead on improving the economy and creating jobs."
House Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer, D-Md., urged Republicans to work with Democrats to implement the law.
"Republicans have been trying to repeal the Affordable Care Act since the day it was enacted, and they have been eagerly awaiting today's ruling," Hoyer said in a statement. "But they must now accept that the Affordable Care Act will remain in place and that the time for litigation and partisan posturing on this issue ought to come to an end. Republicans now have a responsibility to work with Democrats to implement the Affordable Care Act, and I call on them to do so in order to make care affordable and accessible to Americans."
U.S. Chamber of Commerce President and Chief Executive Officer Thomas J. Donohue called the healthcare law "fundamentally flawed" and said it would eliminate many Americans' employer-based health insurance, undermine creation of jobs and raise healthcare costs for all.
"It is imperative that policymakers and the business community now work together to develop and support genuine reforms that control costs, improve access, ensure quality and promote wellness," Donohue said in a statement. "These reforms and goals are achievable. The chamber and the American business community are ready to go to work to enact true healthcare reform. Given the court's decision, the need for action has never been greater."
