D.C., Doctors Abuzz After ACA Decision (with video)

MedPageToday, 2012

In a 193-page document, the court ruled that the law's controversial individual mandate -- which requires nearly everyone to have health insurance -- does not violate the U.S.
"The individual mandate may be upheld as within Congress's power under the Taxing Clause," Chief Justice John Roberts said.
That stance is notably different from lower court decisions on the matter, and, indeed, both the Obama administration and the 26 states suing the federal government had argued that the mandate is a penalty, not a tax.
The court also upheld the ACA's expansion of Medicaid to cover nearly all people under age 65 with household incomes at or below 133% of the federal poverty level.
However, the court struck down a provision that gives the Secretary of Health and Human Services the authority to withhold funds from states that do not comply with the Medicaid expansion, something that many states considered too onerous.
He blasted the Supreme Court decision and vowed to overturn the law if voters elect him to the White House in November.
"What the court did not do on its last day, I will do on my first day as President of the United States," he said, speaking from near the U.S.
"That is, I will act to repeal Obamacare." However, Romney said he would keep some "essential" parts of the law, including preventing insurers from denying coverage on the basis of a preexisting medical condition.
When President Obama spoke shortly after, from the White House, he called the ruling a "victory for people all over this country." Obama said it is clear that he didn't push for healthcare reform "because it was good politics; I did it because I believed it was good for the country." He highlighted the parts of the law that the administration has touted since the beginning: that insurance will be more secure and affordable, and that insurers won't be allowed to charge sky-high premiums, or deny coverage for the sick.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) announced just hours after the Supreme Court decision that the House would vote on July 11 to repeal the entire ACA.
"Take Yes for an answer, and let's move forward," was the response of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).