The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case against President Barack Obama’s health care plan in March of next year and is expected to make a ruling on the law in June which will affect how Americans receive health care.
The challenge to the law, which came from a case in Florida, is in response to the individual mandate in The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act passed by Congress in 2010. The individual mandate states that almost every American must buy health insurance or face legal penalties.
According to the Associated Press, the Supreme Court is expected to rule if the mandate is in fact unconstitutional and, if so, whether other parts of the law, such as students staying on their parents insurance until the age of 26 and not allowing insurers to reject clients with pre-existing conditions, still stay in effect.
“We look forward to presenting [an] oral argument and defending our position that the individual mandate is unconstitutional, that the entire law fails if one part fails, that the Anti-Injunction Act does not apply, and that Medicaid’s expansion is unlawfully coercive,” Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi said in a press conference.
could have long-term effects on health care.
Many Republicans are rallying behind the fight.
“That the Supreme Court is taking this up, I think, is a positive signal that there are legitimate concerns surrounding the constitutional aspects of mandating that individuals purchase health care insurance and purchase it according to Washington’s guidelines,” said House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) to the Associated Press.
The Obama administration has stood their ground that the law is in fact constitutional and good for America.
“Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, one million more young Americans have health insurance, women are getting mammograms and preventive services without paying an extra penny out of their own pocket and insurance companies have to spend more of your premiums on health care instead of advertising and bonuses,” White House Communications Director Dan Pfeiffer said in a statement to Fox News.
However, a recent Gallup poll taken on Wednesday has shown that out of 1,000 people surveyed, 47 percent are in favor of repealing the health care reform while 42 percent were in favor of keeping the law in place. 11 percent of those polled had no opinion.
Surprisingly, the same study found that 50 percent of the same 1,000 people believed that it was the job of the federal government to make sure that everyone has healthcare coverage with 46 percent who disagreed.
“I think it’s a good thing,” said CSU East Bay history student Matthew Aberle when asked about the Supreme Court taking the case. “Being that there’s so much that the federal government mandates for people’s health and well-being, I’m confident that the law will be upheld.”
