The supreme court upholds the Obama health care reform

Chief Justice John Roberts

According to CNN, Chief Justice John Roberts led the Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision upholding President Obama’s sweeping health care law. The court decided that the individual mandate that requires all Americans to have health insurance will stand and is considered a tax by the court, making it constitutional.


Chief Justice John Roberts wrote about the individual mandate, citing the taxing clause: “It is reasonable to construe what Congress has done as increasing taxes on those who have a certain amount of income, but choose to go without insurance. Such legislation is within Congress’ power to tax."


The court also ruled that the federal government may not remove Medicaid funding from states that refuse to take part.


Voting to uphold the Affordable Care Act were R oberts and Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan. The dissenters were Justices Antonin Scalia, Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito.