For far too long, conservatives have failed to coalesce around a long-term vision of what a free-market healthcare system should look like. Republican attention to healthcare, in turn, has only arisen sporadically, in response to Democratic initiatives.
A sharply divided Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the centerpiece of President Barack Obama’s signature healthcare overhaul law that requires that most Americans get insurance by 2014 or pay a financial penalty.
“The Affordable Care Act’s requirement that certain individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably be characterized as a tax,” Chief Justice John Roberts wrote for the court’s majority in the opinion.
“Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness,” he concluded. The vote was 5-4.
READ MORE: Supreme Court upholds Affordable Care Act
The Supreme Court’s ruling on the fate of President Barack Obama’s 2010 healthcare law will be announced on Thursday, the last day of the high court term, the court said on Monday.
READ MORE: SCOTUS sets Thursday for healthcare ruling
You want us to go through 2,700 pages?
