Supreme Court Upholds PPACA

In one of the most anticipated rulings of the century, the Supreme Court has announced its decision on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) of 2010.  Certain specific parts of the Act were restricted or suggestions for modification were made, but in the main, “Obamacare” is constitutional.  How this will play out over the next several months and what will happen after the November election is anyone’s guess.  But, for now, implementation of the controversial universal health care program will move forward and parts of it that have already been enacted will remain intact.

The court has ruled 5-4 that Congress has authority under the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution to require individuals to own a minimum level of insurance but does have the authority to use its taxation authority to impose a coverage mandate.

The court has narrowed the scope of a provision dealing with state Medicaid program expansion requirements, forbidding the government from taking existing Medicaid funding away from states that fail to comply.

For a detailed text of the decision, click here