The Supreme Court has spoken and against many political pundits’ and legal scholars’ predictions, most of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act was upheld! The decision did significantly restrict the law’s Medicaid expansion, giving states more flexibility to not expand their Medicaid programs without fear of penalty. For a breakdown of what all of this means practically, check out John Cushman, Jr.’s story in the New York Times.
Now for the immediate political implications. You can be sure there will be a renewed calls from the Republicans for a full repeal of the bill. As for the Democrats, Chris Cillizza of The Washington Post calls the Supreme Court’s decision a “massive political win” for President Obama.
The other fascinating angle to this story is the role Chief Justice John Roberts played in the end, as he was the fifth and deciding vote that pushed the ruling in favor of a Democratic president. Is it now time for a re-examination of Roberts’ legacy.
Almost being overshadowed by the high court’s ruling on healthcare is the contempt vote for Attorney General Eric Holder that is taking place later today in Congress. With the fangs of the all-powerful NRA at their necks, two Democrats, Rep Jim Matheson, D-Utah, and Rep John Barrow, D-Ga., have already publicly announced that that they will vote to hold the administration’s top cop in contempt of Congress. You can be sure, this fight isn’t over by any means. Watch President Obama’s reaction to the Supreme Court’s ruling:
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