The U.S. Supreme Court upheld the crucial part of President Barack Obama’s signature health care overhaul in a widely anticipated ruling Thursday.
The Affordable Care Act has been viewed as Obama’s chief yet most controversial domestic accomplishment. The Supreme Court decided the overhaul, including its “individual mandate” that virtually requires most Americans to buy health insurance, is constitutional.
The passage of the legislation by the then Democrats-controlled Congress in 2010 gained no Republican support and capped decades of debate over pushing forward a national program of health care covering most people. If upheld and implemented, the latest reform is expected to extend health care coverage to about 30 million currently uninsured Americans.
The health care plan is a hot issue in the presidential election campaign now getting underway, with Republicans arguing that forcing people into health insurance is unconstitutional, while Democrats argue the mandate could bring down the cost of insurance and offer more Americans access to health insurance. The ruling could have a big impact on the election.
Hundreds of people, including health care stake-holders and activists on both sides, as well as television camera crews, awaited the verdict outside the court.