Chief Justice of the United States John Roberts says the Supreme Court decision on the Obama administration's Affordable Health Care Act likely will be announced on Thursday. WNIJ will provide coverage and reaction throughout the day. We'll also have an NPR News special on the decision and what it means at 6pm Thursday. The announcement comes in the wake of speculation by numerous Supreme Court watchers that the justices might alter their pattern of announcing decisions only on Mondays and Thursdays. The announcement today puts and end to the guesswork.
USA Todaysays the health care ruling figures to be one of the court's most historic and is likely to play a role in this year's election between President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney.
No one knows for sure what the Supreme Court will do with the health care law that Obama signed in 2010. There is particular concern among supporters about the fate of the individual mandate, the requirement that nearly all Americans buy insurance or pay a fine. Critics of the law say Congress and Obama exceeded their constitutional authority with the individual mandate. During hearings in March, several Supreme Court justices had harsh questions about the requirement.
Following arguments in March, the Court has been considering several key issues regarding the Affordable Health Care Act: the Anti-Injunction Act, the Individual Mandate, Severability and Medicaid Expansion. The Court may uphold or strike down the entire act or strike down individual provisions.
