Supreme Court's decision upholds individual health care mandate; Sets limits on Medicaid expansion

The U.S. Supreme Court, by a vote of 5-4, upheld the federal health care law affirming the law's mandate that nearly all Americans carry coverage and other requirements of the law that would change the health insurance industry. According to Kaiser Health News, in upholding the mandate, the Court decided that the penalty for not carrying insurance is a tax and therefore falls within Congress' taxing power. However, the decision also set limits on the law's expansion of Medicaid and will leave it up to states to decide whether to participate. Read the Court's decision (PDF file).

The health care law was signed by the President in March 2010 and contains the following provisions which will go into effect in 2014. The law requires insurers to accept all customers regardless of their health status, provides tax credits to those who need help to buy coverage, fines some employers who don't offer insurance and provides billions to expand Medicaid to include many people not currently covered in many states.

Read the summary from Kaiser Health News: Justices Uphold Individual Mandate, Set Limits On Medicaid Expansion

Other coverage:

• Disability Scoop: Health Care Ruling A Win, Disability Advocates Say
• National Health Law Program (NHELP): Summary of the Supreme Court Decision on the ACA (PDF file)

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