Supreme Court upholds health care law

The Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Thursday to uphold the controversial Affordable Care Act.

The decision comes on the last day of the term for the SCOTUS as they will take off for the summer. On Monday, the high court struck down key pieces of Arizona's SB 1070 immigration bill.

Chief Justice John Roberts issued the majority opinion that the individual mandate, the centerpiece of the health law, is constitutional under the taxing clause instead of the commerce clause.

Many people called the case the most significant since the 2000 Gore vs Bush ruling, which decided a presidential election. Others say it's the biggest ruling since the 1954 Brown v. Board of Education in terms of social progression.


Here are some of the highlights of the health care law.

The battle is far from over despite the ruling.

According to the NY Times, the GOP vows to repeal the health care law, which they see as an unaffordable infringement on the rights of individuals. Presidential candidate Mitt Romney says he will undo the law if elected president in November.

Passed in 2010, the ACA intended to end the United States status as the only rich country in the world with large numbers of uninsured people, by expanding to both private market and Medicaid.

The key provision, known as the individual mandate, virtually requires all citizens to buy health insurance meeting minimum federal standards or risk paying a fine if they refuse.

Secondly, the law requires states to expand Medicaid coverage for poor and nearly poor households.

Thirdly, It also offers subsidies to poorer and middle-class households, varying with incomes and to some businesses, insuring their workers.

 In addition, young Americans will be able on their parents insurance until age 26.

In all, millions of people are expected to gain insurance from the law, according to the Congressional Budget Office, a part of a march toward universal coverage, a goal that has eluded presidents such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, Harry S. Truman, Richard M. Nixon, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Bill Clinton---for generations.