Complete the form below to download the Special Report: Supreme Court Upholds Individual Mandate, Modifies Medicaid Expansion; ACA Implementation Continues

Implementation of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) (P.L. 111-148) will continue in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-to-4 vote to uphold the sweeping reform of the U.S. health care system (National Federation of Independent Business v Sebelius, No. 11-393, June 28, 2012).

Chief Justice John Roberts was joined by Justices Ginsburg, Breyer, Sotomayor, and Kagan in writing the majority opinion regarding the individual mandate. The key part of the decision was that the individual mandate to purchase health insurance was ruled constitutional. The Court disagreed, however, with the Obama Administration’s main arguments that the individual mandate was a valid exercise of Congress’ power under the Commerce Clause and the Necessary & Proper Clause of the U.S. Constitution. Instead, the Court concluded that the mandate fell within Congress’ power to tax.

The Court found that the ACA’s Medicaid expansion violated the Spending Clause of the U.S. Constitution because it threatened states with the loss of existing Medicaid funding.