Health Care Reform and Obamacare

What will the Supreme Court decide in the Affordable Care Act?

9 Justices, 3 days of arguments, 4 months of decision making, 2 sides, 1 law. The Affordable Care Act and Patient Protection, also known to some as ObamaCare, is one of the most controversial looked at law proposal that Obama has proposed since he took office in 2008. The Affordable Care Act is a proposed health care law that is aiming to overall improve our current health care system by increasing the amount of Americans covered because “About 44 million people in this country have no health insurance, and another 38 million have inadequate health insurance.” (pbs.org). The law is also supposed to help people who already have health insurance by benefits that offer new protection plans, and it will supposedly help stop insurance companies from cancelling your coverage when you get sick. The Supreme Court is looking at ObamaCare because states, and some of the people, are saying that under the Constitution the Individual mandate is unconstitutional because Congress cannot force us to pay taxes on something if we don’t want it, such as health care. While on the other hand, Congress is arguing that under the Commerce Clause, Congress can tax us on this reform because it is considered economic behavior. But is it? It will be a tight vote, with 9 justices to make a decision and all of them having different views. The Supreme Court is due to make a decision by June of 2012 of whether or not the Affordable Care act and the Patient Protection is in fact constitutional.

There have been 3 significant past cases that have involved the main attraction of the controversy in this case, the Commerce Clause. There has been the United States vs. Lopez, United States vs. Morrison, then lastly there is the most recent case, Gonzales vs. Raich. These 3 cases have set the standard, or precedent that the court has to look back at when making the final decision on this case on the part of the Commerce Clause.....