Health Care Reform Upheld By the Supreme Court

The Supreme Court released its decision on Health Care Reform instituted last year by the Obama Administration. In a 5-4 decision, they kept the heart of the law and held that the mandate that all Americans be insured or face a penalty was Constitutional when considered as a tax. "Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness," Chief Justice John Roberts said.

Roberts Joined the court's four liberal Judges Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor in these findings. Justices Samuel Alito, Anthony Kennedy, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas did not agree with the decision. They said in a joint statement, "The act before us here exceeds federal power both in mandating the purchase of health insurance and in denying non-consenting states all Medicaid funding."

One key provision of the law was not upheld saying that it was not Constitutional for the government to cancel existing funding for Medicaid from states who choose not to expand their income limit for Medicaid eligibility.

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