Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Health Care Law

In an historic decision Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the individual insurance mandate, the central provision of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act.

The 5-4 majority ruling, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, held that the mandate—which requires virtually every American to have health insurance or pay a penalty—is a constitutional under Congress's power to tax, according to multiple media reports.

The mandate, Roberts wrote, "makes going without insurance just another thing the Government taxes, like buying gasoline or earning income. And if the mandate is in effect just a tax hike on certain taxpayers who do not have health insurance, it may be within Congress’s constitutional power to tax."

Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010. The mandate—which will go into effect in 2014—was included because most people in the U.S. get their insurance through employers, leaving millions of people uncovered.

Pressuring people to buy into a plan and getting more businesses to offer policies will give insurance companies more people to spread the risk, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

Many are calling the decision a major victory for the White House, coming only five months before the November elections.

Check back later for comments from state and local representatives.

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