Supreme Court of the United States, which upheld Obama’s signature health care legislation. Photo credit: Laura Padgett
The Supreme Court of the United States upheld President Barack Obama’s signature health care legislation on Thursday, in a 5 to 4 vote that saw the Court treating the disputed individual mandate as a tax (contrary to CNN’s initial “oops” report that the Court struck the mandate down).
We’ll have more opinion and commentary as both the left and the right get their claws out, but in the meantime, here’s what Amy Howe, at Bloomberg Law’s SCOTUS Liveblog had to say:
“In Plain English: The Affordable Care Act, including its individual mandate that virtually all Americans buy health insurance, is constitutional. There were not five votes to uphold it on the ground that Congress could use its power to regulate commerce between the states to require everyone to buy health insurance. However, five Justices agreed that the penalty that someone must pay if he refuses to buy insurance is a kind of tax that Congress can impose using its taxing power. That is all that matters. Because the mandate survives, the Court did not need to decide what other parts of the statute were constitutional, except for a provision that required states to comply with new eligibility requirements for Medicaid or risk losing their funding. On that question, the Court held that the provision is constitutional as long as states would only lose new funds if they didn’t comply with the new requirements, rather than all of their funding.”
Americans won today. With #Obamacare SCOTUS confirms #Healthcare is a Human Right.
— Rep. Keith Ellison (@keithellison) June 28, 2012
I’m disappointed #SCOTUS thinks gov’t knows better than people. I won’t stop fighting #Obamacare until is full repeal. RT if you’re with me. — Michele Bachmann (@TeamBachmann) June 28, 2012
Only in America would so many overweight, diabetic people with heart disease be upset that they’re gonna have healthcare. #SCOTUS #Obamacare — Dave Rubin (@RubinReport) June 28, 2012
Chief Justice John Roberts upholds #Obamacare & millions of GOPs finally decide there’s a reason to blame Bush. — John Fugelsang (@JohnFugelsang) June 28, 2012
As a mother of a child w/ a pre-existing condition, my heart is at peace today. Thank you, @barackobama, for protecting my family. #ACA #p2
— April(@ReignOfApril) June 28, 2012
#Obamacare now left in the hands of the American people this November. #FullRepeal @MittRomney
— College Republicans (@CRNC) June 28, 2012
#Obamacare just put a new tax on every American. What message will you send in November? Are you registered glennbeck.com/fourthings#2 sj
— GBTV (@GBTV) June 28, 2012
Obamacare has been upheld, and defined by the Supreme Court as a “TAX” on people who don’t comply. Welcome to AmeriFrance.
— John Rich (@johnrich) June 28, 2012
More on the healthcare legislation
- What if Obamacare falls?
- Obama’s health care overhaul in jeopardy
- Republicans make jobs-killing claim against Obamacare
- Ammunition in fight against health care repeal?
