The Supreme Court’s five-to-four ruling that the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate provision is constitutional because it is a tax is having many immediate consequences. It surprised many observers, positioned Chief Justice John Roberts as one of the most influential Chief Justices in history, gave President Obama a victory, and inspired Mitt Romney and other Republicans to declare they would overturn the legislation. But what will be the long-term impact? Here are opinions, reactions and predictions related to the ruling and its potential effects on the insurance industry.
June 29, 2012
1. The Individual Mandate Is a (Legal) Tax
"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 health insurance … The federal government does not have the power to order people to buy health insurance. ... The federal government does have the power to impose a tax on those without health insurance.
— Chief Justice John Roberts, who wrote the majority opinion in the Court's ruling on National Federation of Independent Business et al v. Sebelius.
