Politics & Government

Speak Out: Supreme Court Upholds Obama Health Care Law

The requirement that most Americans must buy health insurance or pay a fine is ruled constitutional as a tax. How do you feel about the ruling?

In a 5-4 decision Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Obama's health care law in a splintered, complex opinion that appears to give President Obama a major victory, according to USA Today.

Basically, the justices said that the individual mandate -- the requirement that most Americans must buy health insurance or pay a fine -- is constitutional as a tax.

What do you think of the ruling? How do you think this will affect the November presidential election? Tell us in the comments below.

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Chief Justice John Roberts, a conservative appointed by President George W. Bush, provided the key vote to preserve the landmark health care law.

The controversial health care bill was first introduced to Congress in 2009, and Obama signed it into law in March 2010.

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According to the Washington Post, the court reviewed four questions:

  • Whether it was within Congress’s constitutional powers to impose an “individual mandate” to purchase health insurance
  • Whether all or any additional parts of the law must be struck down if the mandate is rejected
  • Whether an expansion of Medicaid was unduly coercive on the states
  • And whether all of those questions can even be reviewed before the mandate takes effect.

The most crucial issue before the court was considered to be the individual mandate.

The controversial health care provision was signed into law in 2010.

Click here for the full Supreme Court decision.

Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal voiced his opinion on Facebook. “While we recognize this is a huge setback for fiscal sanity and personal liberty, we are not giving up," as quoted on his social media page. "Georgians and the American people deserve high-quality, sustainable health care. Congress must now work steadfastly on repealing this law and replacing it with reforms that help taxpayers instead of hurt them.”


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