Obamacare Is Here to Stay: Supreme Court Upholds National Healthcare Law

On June 17, the Supreme Court dismissed the GOP-led effort against Obamacare, the national healthcare law. Despite its conservative majority, SCOTUS ruled to uphold the Affordable Care Act against Texas and other Republican-led states, thereby safeguarding insurance coverage for millions of US citizens. 

The decision was executed by the justices via a 7-2 vote. According to the Biden administration, 31 million Americans have health insurance due to Obamacare. Some of its key offerings include protections for individuals with existing ailments, no-cost preventive services, extending the Medicaid program to include insurance for people from low-income groups, and making healthcare markets accessible through subsidized plans. 

In addition, the provision of a zero penalty for those who don’t have health insurance, made by Congress in 2017, also stays intact. It was this provision that became the basis of the Republican argument to repeal the law. And with three justices appointed by former President Donald Trump in court — Amy Coney Barrett, Neil Gorsuch, and Brett Kavanaugh — Obamacare opponents hoped that the law would be quashed after a decade-old fight. 

In the court ruling, Justice Stephen Breyer stated that those who lodged the lawsuit were unable to demonstrate any “standing to attack as unconstitutional the Act’s minimum essential coverage provision.” On the other hand, Justice Samuel Alito expressed dissent by writing that “the Court has pulled off an improbable rescue,” while Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton promised to pursue the fight against the act, addressing it as a “massive government takeover of health care.”  

Responding to the verdict, Joe Biden proclaimed, “The Affordable Care Act remains the law of the land.” In celebration, former President Barack Obama added, “the Affordable Care Act is here to stay.” Even though the campaign against it continues, the law has been gaining ground — 54% of Americans have viewed it favorably as per ratings in February this year compared to 43% in December 2016.