Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act

9:27 a.m. voted 5-4 today to uphold President Barack Obama’s Affordable Health Care Act.

Chief Justice John Roberts joined with the Court’s liberal wing of Associate Justices Elena Kagan, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer and Sonia Sotomayor to uphold one of the President’s signature accomplishments.

This means all provisions of the law including the individual mandate requiring all Americans without health care to purchase it will take effect.

Update: 10 a.m. Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Evanston) called today historic with the decision of the United States Supreme Court to uphold the Affordable Care Act considering it the most significant law Congress has passed in the last 50 years.

“The law ends insurance industry abuses in the health system, improves Medicare and Medicaid for seniors and the disabled, and covers millions of uninsured Americans,” Schakowsky said in a prepared statement.

According to Schakowsky, more than 86 million Americans have already benefitted from the new law including 6.6 million people under 26 who can remain on their parents’ existing coverage. She thinks it should be a start not a finish.

“This positive decision by the nation’s highest court in the land should resolve any doubts that Congress can and should act to ensure that Americans get the health care they need at a price they can afford,” Schakowsky said. “It will allow us to move forward and maintain our commitment to real health care security.” 

The Court’s decision means when the law is fully in place in two more years, people can no longer be denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions. “No longer will families be bankrupt because someone gets sick,” Schakowsky said. “People with mental illness will get the care they need.”

(Update at 11:55) fears today’s United States Supreme Court decision upholding President Obama’s Affordable Care Act will threaten the country’s economic recovery, according to a statement issued by his office.

Kirk called for repeal of the law. He wants to replace it with reforms that will foster competition in the insurance industry and give people more options purchasing protection.

“The health care law threatens our economic recovery by raising taxes, imposing new regulations and creating a drag on the economy," Kirk said in the statement. "Congress replace it with common sense, centrist reforms that give Americans the right to buy insurance across state lines and expand coverage without raising taxes.”