Health Law

It's Independence Day, so many Americans are reflecting on the year 1776, when this nation was born. But today's rancorous political divisions are also a reminder of 1861, when President Lincoln explained in a Fourth of July speech why war was necessary to crush that period's "states' rights" movement. More than 150 years later, another crew of states'-righters are challenging a president. They're not threatening to secede, but are vowing to ignore a law passed by Congress and recently deemed constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court — the Affordable Care Act, which they have derisively dubbed Obamacare.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr.'s opinion Thursday upholding much of President Obama's Affordable Care Act should quiet for now critics who say the court acts out of raw partisan impulses. But in this hyper-politicized age, it is hard to imagine that will last. There's too great a distance between the public's perception of the court and how it actually works. One of the most fascinating undercurrents is the suggestion that Roberts was so focused on preserving institutional credibility that he switched his vote at the last moment.

The essence of conservatism Chief Justice John Roberts, in writing the majority opinion to uphold "Obamacare," showed the real meaning of conservatism ("Health law upheld," Friday). First, Roberts stated that it is not the job of the court to look for ways to overturn laws. In fact, Roberts referred to former Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes in stating that you should err on the side of upholding law if you can find any reason to do so. This is the opposite of a judicial activist who believes the court should, in effect, create new law. An even more conservative position was Roberts' statement that we get the government we elect and have to live with the consequences of the actions of those who legislate.

Amid a fierce debate over its legal and political implications, the Supreme Court is set to rule Thursday on President Obama's overhaul of the nation's health-care marketplace, a plan proponents say will bring health coverage to millions of uninsured but opponents insist is both unworkable and unconstitutional. The court was expected to issue its opinion around 10 a.m. It had agreed to hear challenges to the law by 26 Republican governors and attorneys general and the National Federation of Independent Business, who argued that its requirement that individual citizens purchase health insurance or pay a penalty to the IRS is unconstitutional.

Area health-care leaders said Thursday that implementation of health reform will pick up speed now that it is clear where the U.S. Supreme Court stands. The momentum, they said, could make it harder for Republicans to dismantle all or part of the law if they prevail in the fall elections. For their part, politicians and advocacy groups reacted along predictable lines. The biggest question is what will happen to the Affordable Care Act's expansion of Medicaid, the state-federal insurance program for the poor.

Supreme Court upholds Obama law's requirement that most Americans have health insurance.

Gov. Corbett said he was "disappointed" in the ruling, but "respect for the law and for the process of the law - even when we disagree - is part of our democracy. " He pledged to do "all we can to ensure the negative impact of this law affects the lives of Pennsylvanians as little as possible. " "I think we can all agree there are Pennsylvanians who need our help. However, expanding government bureaucracy, government programs and government spending is not the answer. " U.S. Senator Bob Casey (D-PA)

In a precedent setting decision that likely will reverberate through election day and beyond, the Supreme Court in a 5-4 decision Thursday upheld President Obama's health care overhaul including a requirement that all non-exempt Americans buy health insurance. The court said the law's requirement that individual Americans purchase insurance or be subject to a penalty levied by the IRS was constitutional. It also upheld a provision greatly expanding Medicaid, the health care program for the poor jointly financed by the state and federal governments.

Inquirer staff writers Allyn Gaestel, Meeri Kim and Jessica Parks went to three locations Thursday to gauge reaction to the Supreme Court's ruling on the health-care law. Joy in Camden Cries of "Amen!" "Alleluia!" and "Praise the Lord" rang out in front of St. Paul's Episcopal Church on Thursday morning as members of Camden Churches Organized for People (CCOP) praised the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act. "It's a death sentence lifted for me," said the Rev. Marilyn Dixon-Hill, a CCOP member.