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Texas Attorney General Files Suit Over Dental Medicaid Fraud
A Texas television station has been investigating fraud in the Texas Dental Medicaid Program for over a year. Their investigations have culminated in the Texas Attorney General filing suit against the dentists and corporate entities involved.
A year-long WFAA investigation into questionable Medicaid dental payments has resulted in the Texas Attorney General filing lawsuits this week.
Greg Abbott charges that a Dallas dentist and his corporate entities bilked taxpayers out of millions for fraudulent orthodontic work on poor families.
Dallas dentist Richard Malouf amassed a multi-million dollar mansion, corporate jets and luxury vehicles through his dentistry, News 8 has found.
He and his former firm, All Smiles, declared bankruptcy following a series of reports detailing how he and other dentists around Texas gamed the welfare system by billing for unnecessary dental work.
WFAA found that over the past few years, Texas has paid out more in Medicaid orthodontic claims than all other 49 states combined.
All Smiles billed Medicaid for at least $15 million over two years, which is twice as much as the entire state of Illinois. The Attorney General’s lawsuits, filed in Austin Monday, seek to recoup “two times the amount of the overpayments.”
WFAA’s findings have spurred outrage among lawmakers and hearings in Austin and Washington D.C.Madelayne Castillo, a former All Smiles employee, and Dallas orthodontist Dr. Christine Ellis filed separate whistleblower lawsuits in April and May alleging fraud by Malouf and his corporations.
Both lawsuits remained sealed while the Attorney General’s office investigated the claims. On Monday, Abbott’s office joined those lawsuits by refiling them in the state’s name.
Here is the video report – embedded below:
Stay tuned as these cases move forward and the feds open fresh investigations into the dental Medicaid industry.
Certainly, this will NOT be good for the dentistry profession.
The fallout will be massive, I predict and may very well change how dental Medicaid patients are treated.
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Day By Day for June 26 and June 27, 2012
Day By Day by Chris Muir – No S–t
Day By Day by Chris Muir -News
Chris, everyone is wating for tomorrow’s Supreme Court ruling on ObamaCare.
Fortunately, for Attorney General Eric Holder his machinations with Fast and Furious may be lost in the media frenzy. But, this issue will come back to bite the Obama Administration.
The Fast and Furious scandal WILL be tied into the President’s illegal immigration policy and further alienate voters in Colorado and Nevada – key battleground states for the November general election.
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@Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-06-27
- The Morning Flap: June 26, 2012 – Flap's Blog http://t.co/Ary35tLS #
- Obama Attacks Romney as Outsourcer in Chief – Flap's Blog http://t.co/OJiZu42G #
- City of Stockton is the Largest U.S. City to File for Bankruptcy? http://t.co/vLRrohH2 #
- Obama Attacks Romney as Outsourcer in Chief http://t.co/oxuD5kl6 #
- The Morning Flap: June 26, 2012 http://t.co/ezYSpINC #
- City of Stockton is the Largest U.S. City to File for Bankruptcy? http://t.co/xWuqOb2U #
- AD-48: Is Roger Hernandez Safe for Assembly Re-Election? http://t.co/JjVMoIhP #
- Democrats Cancel Speedway Event at Charlotte Convention http://t.co/SZpwzHbK #
- Eric Holder ‘Fast and Furious’ contempt vote to be held Thursday http://t.co/D5zGeUiK #
- Dems seek to recast Holder furor as GOP effort to suppress votes http://t.co/QWIOvmbf #
- Rielle Hunter and John Edwards No Longer a Couple http://t.co/5trQuFbT #
- PBS Frontline Investigation: Dollars and Dentists to Air Tonight http://t.co/88le224X #
- ObamaCare: Only a Third Favor Obama’s Health Reform Law http://t.co/LdHmUQYH #
- Jenny McCarthy Sexting Her Son's Dentist Likely a Publicity Stunt for Playboy? http://t.co/66sWFGtv #
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-06-26 http://t.co/1RYLo2Aa #
- Flap’s California Morning Collection: June 25, 2012 http://t.co/cRm0Qqbb #
- Supreme Court split verdict puts immigration center stage in 2012 http://t.co/XRoxUZJr #
- Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them
-William Shakespeare #
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-06-26 http://t.co/raAfNmJL #
- (404) http://t.co/htGdLa http://t.co/htGdLa #
- Cover It Live – Scotusblog http://t.co/WJREDKPc #
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Obama Attacks Romney as Outsourcer in Chief
This is no great surprise and in fact, the issue was raised by Newt Gingrich during the GOP Presidential campaign.
President Obama is releasing ads in Iowa, Ohio and Virginia that rely on a recent Washington Post story to argue that former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney would be an outsourcer-in-chief.
“The Washington Post has just revealed that Romney’s companies were pioneers in shipping U.S. jobs overseas,” each ad says.
The story reported that “[d]uring the nearly 15 years that Romney was actively involved in running Bain, a private equity firm that he founded, it owned companies that were pioneers in the practice of shipping work from the United States to overseas call centers and factories.”
Each ad begins with a clip from one of Romney’s recent “100 Days” ads, in which Romney revealed some of his plans for his first term. Those ads were tailored for various swing states, and Obama’s ads are too.
The Ohio ad focuses on Romney’s claim that he would stand up to China on his first day in office. “Romney’s never stood up to China,” the narrator says. “All he’s ever done is send them our jobs.”
The Virginia and Iowa ads highlight Romney’s job promises and ask if the state wants “an outsourcer-in-chief in the White House?”
This is the same campaign that California U.S. Senator Barbara Boxer used against Republican former Hewlett-Packared CEO Carly Fiorina in 2010. Except this time it is Bain and the ads will be run on sterioids.
But, will it be enough to distract voters from Obama’s abysmal economic record?
Here is one of the ads embedded below:
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The Morning Flap: June 26, 2012
These are my links for June 25th through June 26th:
- Democrats Cancel Speedway Event at Charlotte Convention – Democrats canceled a political convention kick-off event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and will move the activities to Charlotte’s main business district, the convention’s host committee announced.
“While we regret having to move CarolinaFest away from our great partners at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and the City of Concord, we are thrilled with the opportunity that comes with hosting this event in Uptown Charlotte,” said Dan Murrey, the executive director of the Charlotte in 2012 Convention Host Committee.
The move comes as party planners are grappling with a fundraising deficit of roughly $27 million, according to two people familiar with the matter who requested anonymity to discuss internal party politics. With a party ban on direct contributions from corporations, the host committee has raised less than $10 million, well short of its $36.6 million goal, said one of the people. - Eric Holder ‘Fast and Furious’ contempt vote to be held Thursday– The House is scheduled to vote on recommendations that Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. be held in contempt of Congress on Thursday, according to House Republican aides.Republican leaders plan to bring the issue to the floor on Thursday, meaning lawmakers likely will vote on contempt charges on the same day that the U.S. Supreme Court is slated to announce its ruling on the constitutionality of the 2010 health-care reform law.The timing likely deprives advocates for contempt charges of the big headlines they might have received if the vote were held another day this week.
House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) said Sunday that the vote could still be postponed or scrapped if Holder and Justice Department officials present congressional investigators with documents related to a probe into Operation “Fast and Furious,” the botched gun-running operation run by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives out of its Phoenix offices between 2009 and 2011.
- Dems seek to recast Holder furor as GOP effort to suppress votes– Democrats are seeking to portray the Republican contempt motion against Attorney General Eric Holder as an assault on minority rights.Republicans have repeatedly accused Holder and the Obama administration of stonewalling Congress, but Democrats are now trying to steer the “Fast and Furious” debate away from transparency and toward voter suppression.
- Homeland Security suspends immigration agreements with Arizona police– The Obama administration said Monday it is suspending existing agreements with Arizona police over enforcement of federal immigration laws, and said it has issued a directive telling federal authorities to decline many of the calls reporting illegal immigrants that the Homeland Security Department may get from Arizona police.Administration officials, speaking on condition they not be named, told reporters they expect to see an increase in the number of calls they get from Arizona police — but that won’t change President Obama’s decision to limit whom the government actually tries to detain and deport.“We will not be issuing detainers on individuals unless they clearly meet our defined priorities,” one official said in a telephone briefing.
The official said that despite the increased number of calls, which presumably means more illegal immigrants being reported, the Homeland Security Department is unlikely to detain a significantly higher number of people and won’t be boosting personnel to handle the new calls.
“We do not plan on putting additional staff on the ground in Arizona,” the official said.
- Supreme Court split verdict puts immigration center stage in 2012– The Supreme Court scrapped much of Arizona’s immigration law Monday, intensifying the national debate on the issue and making it more likely to be a big factor in November’s presidential election.With both parties vying for a larger piece of the Hispanic vote, President Obama quickly praised the ruling while his GOP rival Mitt Romney criticized it, saying he would have preferred that the court give more latitude to Arizona.In a 5-3 ruling, the court rejected key provisions of the 2010 immigration law, but let stand a central provision allowing police to check the legal status of those stopped on suspicion of unrelated offenses.
- (404) http://t.co/htGdLa – RT @AP: More on immigration: Supreme Court strikes down most of Arizona crackdown, but police can still check status: …
- Cover It Live – Scotusblog – RT @libcasey: Immigration SCOTUS decision out!
- The Morning Flap: June 25, 2012 – Flap’s Blog – The Morning Flap: June 25, 2012
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: June 25, 2012 – The Morning Drill: June 25, 2012
- Democrats Cancel Speedway Event at Charlotte Convention – Democrats canceled a political convention kick-off event at the Charlotte Motor Speedway and will move the activities to Charlotte’s main business district, the convention’s host committee announced.
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Rielle Hunter and John Edwards No Longer a Couple
No surprise here for Rielle Hunter or John Edwards.
Rielle Hunter and John Edwards ended their controversial relationship last week, just days after her new book debuted and she went public about how they met, hid their affair and had a baby girl together.
“We are a family, but as of the end of last week John Edwards and I are no longer a couple. Not at all,” Hunter told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos on “Good Morning America.”
When asked if she still loved Edwards, Hunter replied, “I do.”
Stephanopoulos asked if Edwards still loved her and she said, “You have to ask him. I think he does. I mean I feel that he does.”
Nevertheless, the couple split, she said, worn down by the scrutiny and pressure brought on by their high profile affair that began while Edwards was running for the 2008 presidential nomination.
“For me, for my part in it, it’s because I’m no longer interested in hiding, hiding our relationship, not living out,” she said. “I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but we’ve had a lot of media scrutiny. It’s complicated and it’s hard. It wears you down after a while.”
Hunter, 48, wouldn’t say whether one of them made the break.
“That’s private. We decided together to end it. It’s hard. It’s painful,” she said.
Maybe this long ordeal will be over and John Edwards can go back to taking care of his children, including the one with Rielle Hunter.
Talk about a political career melt down….
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ObamaCare: Only a Third Favor Obama’s Health Reform Law
According to the latest Associated Press-GfK poll on ObamaCare.
Just a third of Americans back President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul on which the Supreme Court is about to pass judgment, a new poll finds. But there is overwhelming support among both supporters and opponents for Congress and the president to begin work on a new bill if the high court strikes down the 2-year-old law.
The overall level of support for the law is relatively unchanged in recent months, with 47 percent opposing it. But an Associated Press-GfK poll shows that only 21 percent of independents approve of the law, a new low in AP-GfK polling.
But, Americans desire reform of the health care system.
But whatever people think of the law, they don’t want a Supreme Court ruling against it to be the last word on health care reform. More than three-fourths of Americans want their political leaders to undertake a new effort, rather than leave the health care system alone if the court rules against the law, according to the poll.
Large majorities of both opponents and backers of the law share the view that Congress and the president should start anew. The lowest level of support for new health care legislation comes from people who identify themselves as strong supporters of the tea party. Even in that group, though, nearly 60 percent favor work on a new bill.
President Obama and then House Speaker Nancy Pelosi forced this law down the throats of the American people. Remember ObamaCare passed with NO Republican votes in the House or Senate.
Nobody and I mean nobody fully understand all of its provisions. The uncertainty has stifled employment and cost projections of the law’s impact scares business already slammed with the economic recession.
It is time to start over.
This time the Congress and President need to work together for incremental reform to benefit ALL Americans.
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@Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-06-26
- The Morning Flap: June 25, 2012 – Flap's Blog http://t.co/aEheZP6z #
- Flap's Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: June 25, 2012 http://t.co/S1CXq06s #
- RT @Reuters: U.S. SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS KEY PART OF TOUGH ARIZONA IMMIGRATION LAW, IN DEFEAT FOR OBAMA #tcot #teaparty #
- Waiting for the Supreme Court…#tcot #
- The Morning Flap: June 25, 2012 http://t.co/NCpXuqP7 #
- The Morning Drill: June 25, 2012 http://t.co/pJ9aELNN #
- Hill Poll: Voters: Obama over-reached blocking Fast and Furious docs http://t.co/rBYxMgiE #
- Pawlenty, Portman Finances Pose VP Vetting Challenge http://t.co/AxfeKquZ #
- Poll: Former Supreme Court clerks think the mandate is done for http://t.co/EzEnEzN8 #
- Day By Day June 24, 2012 – Fifth Columns http://t.co/YeHvLve8 #
- Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-06-25 http://t.co/BSlHNBuQ #
- Poll: Immigration not Hispanics' #1 http://t.co/KPnQZ35z #
- New YG Network Poll Shows Majority Favor Health Reform Repeal http://t.co/uPns2c5b #
- @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-06-25 http://t.co/5vYK6bqD #
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The Morning Flap: June 25, 2012
These are my links for June 21st through June 25th:
- Hill Poll: Voters: Obama over-reached blocking Fast and Furious docs– A clear majority of likely voters believes President Obama has exercised his executive power inappropriately — particularly in blocking the release of documents relating to Operation Fast and Furious, according to a new poll for The Hill.But in a sign that the electorate’s frustration extends to Capitol Hill, voters by a significant margin also feel Congress has behaved in an obstructionist manner toward the president.Amid the discontent over the behavior of both Obama and members of Congress, the poll found a strong preference among voters for a return to one-party rule in Washington.
- Pawlenty, Portman Finances Pose VP Vetting Challenge– With Mitt Romney’s vice presidential vetting process well under way, two of the likeliest contenders for the nod — Tim Pawlenty and Rob Portman — have some of the thickest financial backgrounds to comb through.Since dropping his own bid for president last August, Pawlenty has joined the boards of seven companies and serves as a senior adviser to another. Portman has a complicated financial history from a previous ownership stake in his family’s since-sold company, Portman Equipment, as well as numerous investments.Republican researchers familiar with both potential picks say neither the former Minnesota governor nor the Ohio senator presents major problems; still, the vetting process might be more involved for the two top contenders than it is for an array of other contenders who appear to be further down Romney’s list.
Pawlenty appeared on CBS’s “Face the Nation” Sunday to say that he is not campaigning for the No. 2 spot. Nonetheless, he has been perhaps the highest-profile and most active surrogate on the campaign trail for Romney in recent months.
Brian McClung, Pawlenty’s former spokesman and deputy chief of staff, told RCP: “Governor Pawlenty is focused on his business responsibilities and enjoys his work in the private sector. He helps Governor Romney’s campaign when his schedule permits.”
- Poll: Former Supreme Court clerks think the mandate is done for– A new poll of 56 former Supreme Court clerks finds that 57 percent think the individual mandate will be overturned. That’s a 22-point jump from the last time the same group of clerks was surveyed, right before oral arguments. Back then, 35 percent thought the court would toss out the required purchase of health insurance.Most of the clerks found the Supreme Court’s questioning to be more skeptical than they had expected. As one clerk put it to Purple Strategies’ Doug Usher, who conducted the research, “I feel like a dope, because I was one of those who predicted that the Court would uphold the statute by a lopsided majority…it now appears pretty likely that this prediction was way off.”That seems to capture the mood of the rest of the country, too. Over on InTrade, the estimated likelihood of the Supreme Court overturning the mandate has marched upward ever since oral arguments, hitting 79.9 percent Wednesday morning.
- For Obama, Supreme Court health-care, immigration rulings to close a tough term– The Supreme Court this week will conclude its term by handing down much-anticipated rulings on health care and immigration, President Obama’s remaining priorities before the justices. It is a finale that cannot come quickly enough for the administration, which has had a long year at the high court.In a string of cases — as obscure as the federal government’s relationships with Indian tribes and as significant as enforcement of the Clean Water Act — the court rejected the administration’s legal arguments with lopsided votes and sometimes biting commentary.The administration’s win-loss record will sting a lot less, of course, if the court upholds the constitutionality of Obama’s signature domestic achievement, the Affordable Care Act. That decision on health care, which will define the term, could come as early as Monday and almost certainly will be announced by Thursday.
The court also will decide the fate of Arizona’s tough law on illegal immigrants, which the Obama administration challenged in court before it could take effect. The government’s argument that the law conflicts with the federal authority to decide immigration policy got a sour reception from the justices, but the government hopes for at least a split decision on other aspects of the measure.
The administration’s ungainly portfolio at the Supreme Court this term has drawn attention from all points on the ideological spectrum.
- Poll: Immigration not Hispanics’ #1– American Hispanic voters are more concerned about health care and unemployment than they are about immigration, according to a new USA Today/Gallup poll.In fact, only 12 percent of Hispanic registered voters said that immigration policy is the most important issue to them.
- New YG Network Poll Shows Majority Favor Health Reform Repeal– A majority of Americans want the health care law completely or partially repealed and think the federal government should not be able to force citizens to buy insurance, according to a new poll from the YG Network, a center-right issues advocacy group whose senior staff are former aides to Republican House Majority Leader Eric Cantor.With the Supreme Court expected to rule as early as this week on the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the poll offers a glimpse into how Americans view the legislation.The poll, conducted between June 19 and June 21 by GOP pollsters McLaughlin & Associates surveyed 1,000 people with a margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points. Respondents were split almost evenly in terms of their politics. Thirty-two percent were Republicans; 34 percent were Democrats and 29 percent were independents; 4.5 percent didn’t know or refused to reply.
The survey sometimes referred to the Affordable Care Act as “Obamacare,” a term often used by critics of the law. The poll also tested a number of Republican talking points.
- Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s Comments On His Home, California – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-06-24
- Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Comments on Politics, the Dental World and Much More – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-06-24
- Gregory Flap @ I.B.E.W. Local 441 – foursquare – At the wife, Alice’s family reunion. (@ I.B.E.W. Local 441 w/ 2 others) [pic]:
- California Proposition 29 Tobacco Tax Rejected by Voters – California Proposition 29 Tobacco Tax Rejected by Voters
- Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s Comments On His Home, California – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-06-23
- Ryan Being Vetted for VP – By Robert Costa – The Corner – National Review Online – Ryan Being Vetted for VP – By Robert Costa – The Corner – National Review Online
- Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Comments on Politics, the Dental World and Much More – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-06-23
- Ryan Being Vetted for VP – By Robert Costa – The Corner – National Review Online – Ryan Being Vetted for VP – By Robert Costa – The Corner – National Review Online
- Ryan Being Vetted for VP – By Robert Costa – The Corner – National Review Online – Ryan Being Vetted for VP – By Robert Costa – The Corner – National Review Online
- Ryan Being Vetted for VP – By Robert Costa – The Corner – National Review Online – Ryan Being Vetted for VP – By Robert Costa – The Corner – National Review Online
- Ryan Being Vetted for VP – By Robert Costa – The Corner – National Review Online – Rep. Paul Ryan Being Vetted for Vice President
- Rep. Paul Ryan Being Vetted for Vice President– I’m reliably informed that Representative Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the Budget Committee chairman, has submitted paperwork to the Romney campaign. Sources confirm that he is being vetted for the vice-presidential nomination.Ryan, one of the GOP’s brightest young stars, is clearly a favorite of Romney allies. But some top Republican officials are wary of plucking him from the House, where he is the party’s most influential voice on fiscal issues.
- Obama’s White Support Is Too Low to Win– Today, the demographic status quo is not good for either candidate. The long-term future favors Democrats. The GOP must reconcile itself with the browning of America. But even in early 2009, amid renewed talk of an emerging Democratic majority, it was clear that demographics are not electoral destiny. That Democratic majority has not emerged over the past decade because Democrats have not made sustained inroads with the actual demographic majority.How quickly that proved true. In 2010, whites backed GOP House candidates by a 60-38 margin. It gave Republicans a historic landslide. The white margin two years ago roughly matches the break-even point today. That’s because presidential electorates are browner and blacker, though possibly not enough for Democrats. Plainly put, the data shows that Romney will likely win if he matches his party’s minority support in 2008 and its majority support in 2010.Democrats have come to depend on diversity. But even today, diversity may not prove enough to save Obama.
- Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Comments on Politics, the Dental World and Much More – Michael Ramirez: I am NOT a Crook
- Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s Comments On His Home, California – Flap’s California Blog @ Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-06-22
- Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Comments on Politics, the Dental World and Much More – @Flap Twitter Updates for 2012-06-22
- Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Comments on Politics, the Dental World and Much More – Epic Fail – Back Down: Update: Back Up! Twitter is Down and All is Quiet
- Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Comments on Politics, the Dental World and Much More – Update: Back Up! Twitter is Down and All is Quiet
- Twitter is Down and All is Quiet – Flap’s Blog – Twitter is Down and All is Quiet
- AD-48: Assemblyman Roger Hernandez to Stand Trial for DUI Charges – AD-48: Assemblyman Roger Hernandez to Stand Trial for DUI Charges
- The Morning Flap: June 21, 2012 – Flap’s Blog – The Morning Flap: June 21, 2012
- Senator Marco Rubio Says Attorney General Eric Holder Must Resign – Senator Marco Rubio Says Attorney General Eric Holder Must Resign
- Flap’s California Morning Collection: June 21, 2012 – Flap’s California Blog – Flap’s California Morning Collection: June 21, 2012
- Flap’s Dentistry Blog: The Morning Drill: June 21, 2012 – The Morning Drill: June 21, 2012
- Flap’s Blog – FullosseousFlap’s Dental Blog – Flap’s Comments on Politics, the Dental World and Much More – Day By Day June 21, 2012 – Dress Up
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Day By Day June 24, 2012 – Fifth Columns
Chris, the MSM, especially NBC has been especially pathetic this Presidential cycle defending Obama.
I mean – someone, somehow has to do it.
Obama’s record is so poor, even his own Democrats in Congress are refusing to attend the Democratic National Convention this summer.
We are waiting this morning for SCOTUS to rule on ObamaCare. When the announcement is made, it may be the beginning of the end of the Obama Administration.