Obama Health Care – Key Issues Go Before The Supreme Court
The ongoing debate concerning Obama health care continues, as key issues are now before the Supreme Court. It has yet to be determined if Obama health care will “stick,” as legal battles continue regarding the law’s fate.
At the current time, two of the most controversial issues surrounding Obama health care are the individual insurance mandate and the expansion of Medicaid. In regards to the individual insurance mandate, the issue revolves around whether Congress went above and beyond its power by requiring that all Americans either purchase health insurance or be subject to penalties. Obama health care aims to provide over 30 million Americans who did not have coverage with insurance.
The Obama administration argued that Congress could enact the individual mandate under the regulation of interstate commerce in the U.S. Constitution. Currently, the individual insurance mandate is set to take effect in 2014. Twenty-six of the fifty states in the U.S. are opposed to the individual insurance mandate, arguing the Congress exceeded its power. Obama health care has been a highly controversial issue ever since the President signed the bill into law on March 23rd of 2010.
Opponents of the mandate state that the provision should be struck down, 
that it is unconstitutional and that the federal government’s power was drastically expanded. The National Federation of Independent Business strongly feels that without the individual mandate, regulations and other provisions in Obama health care will not survive, as the individual mandate is at the center or core of the law.
The expansion of Medicaid is another spot of contention in the Supreme Court, as states have challenged the forced expansion of the government supported program that provides health care to Americans who are poor. These states are arguing that by threatening to withhold billions of dollars in funding, Congress is attempting to force states to cooperate with Medicaid expansion.
Obama health care is likely to be in the headlines for months to come; it will likely be March of 2012 before arguments begin, and a ruling on the issues is not expected until the end of June.
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