Supreme Court justices ruled 5-4 in favor of President Obama’s healthcare mandate this morning. The ruling came after days of suspense over the fate of healthcare in the country.
While the Supreme Court upheld Obamacare’s provisions, they did make a change to the law. Instead of mandating that certain individuals pay a financial penalty for not having health insurance, the Court is allowing the government to tax them as the second action is within Congress’ power.
The Court also upheld the proposed Medicaid expansion, but under condition that the government cannot impose its authority over the States to regulate healthcare by their instructions.
“As for the Medicaid expansion, that portion of the Affordable Care Act violates the Constitution by threatening existing Medicaid funding,” said the court. “Congress has no authority to order the States to regulate according to its instructions. Congress may offer the States grants and require the States to comply with accompanying conditions, but the States must have a genuine choice whether to accept the offer. The States are given no such choice in this case: They must either accept a basic change in the nature of Medicaid, or risk losing all Medicaid funding. The remedy for that constitutional violation is to preclude the Federal Government from imposing such a sanction. That remedy does not require striking down other portions of the Affordable Care Act.”
There is now speculation over how the Court’s decision will affect the presidential race, with experts like policy adviser Karl Rove declaring that the ruling will ultimately help Obama.
The Court’s ruling came as a surprise to many given the negativity demonstrated by government officials and the public alike. A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll showed that only 36 percent of people supported Obama’s healthcare mandate while Supreme Court debates about the plan in March also revealed significant opposition.
Under the mandate’s now approved provisions, healthcare is set to widen its reach and services. Some of the most anticipated changes include expansion of coverage for patients with pre-existing conditions and women seeking preventative care.
You can read the Court’s full decision here.