Outside the Supreme Court
March 26, 2012--On the first day of oral arguments on the Affordable Care Act at the U.S. Supreme Court, supporters of the law dominated the scene outside.  Among the crowd were quite a few union activists from SEIU and AFSCME and dozens of doctors and medical students.  One, Dr. Ari Silver-Isenstadt, a pediatrician at the Franklin Square Hospital Center, said that while the law has shortcomings, it does "get the train on the tracks in the right direction."  Asked about concerns over the high cost (+) of the law, Silver-Isenstadt said that, "We spend the money anyway, on the backside."  He also noted that projections by groups such as the CBO fail to adequately value prevention.
Elizabeth Wiley, Colin McCluney and Kristin Huntoon with the American Medical Student Association, and Katherine Prather with Doctors for America.
Linda Walling, executive director of the Faithful Reform in Health Care Coalition.
J. Herbert Nelson, director of the Washington office of the Presybterian Church USA.
Supporters of the Affordable Care Act also set up a media center.  According to Kandie Stroud, who is overseeing the operation, over 700 interviews have been scheduled.
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