POLL: Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Healthcare Individual Insurance Mandate

The Supreme Court handed down its ruling this morning that the individual insurance mandate in the Affordable Care Act is constitutional. The provision will require that most people have health insurance under the act.

Patch's sister publication, the Huffington Post, reports that the 5-4 majority opinion, written by Chief Justice John Roberts, upheld the mandate as a tax, although concluded it was not valid as an exercise of Congress' commerce clause power. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Stephen Breyer, Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan joined in the majority.

Follow this link to read the key features of the law.

The Wall Street Journal reports that the majority opinion to uphold the individual mandate was written by Chief Justice John Roberts.

Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna, a Bellevue resident, recently defended Washington state's participation in the suit challenging the constitutionality of the mandated purchase of health insurance in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, according to the Issaquah Press.

King County Councilman Bob Ferguson, who represents Shoreline and Lake Forest Park, and a candidate for state attorney general, released the following statement about the decision

“The Supreme Court’s validation of the Affordable Care Act is a victory for the health and well-being of all King County and Washington residents.

“With today’s decision, millions of Americans have the peace of mind knowing they will benefit from the law’s reforms, including access to more affordable prescription medication for seniors. Moreover, insurance companies can’t deny coverage for pre-existing conditions or impose lifetime limits on health benefits.

“Roughly one million Washington residents are uninsured, and the court’s favorable ruling is critical to moving forward with reforms that will bring us closer to ensuring all Americans have access to affordable health care.”

The King County Council passed a motion in 2010 acknowledging the benefits of health care reform and supporting implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. 

In 2010, Ferguson wrote a letter to the State Attorney General, Rob McKenna, questioning the legal merit of joining the federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Over 100 attorneys joined the letter asking the McKenna to reconsider his decision.

At the heart of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act is the mandate which requires people to buy health insurance or face a penalty. Opinions have varied on whether the federal government has the power to force such a purchase.

The Associated Press plans to host a chat on its Google+ page at 1 p.m. PDT to discuss the impact on Americans and the 2012 presidential election.