The Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act and the Supreme Court
In March, the Supreme Court of the United States (Supreme Court) heard arguments in a case challenging the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. How the Supreme Court rules will determine if the Affordable Care Act stays in place, or if some or all of the law goes away.
If the Supreme Court decides the case in June, as is expected, it will determine whether the individual mandate, which requires certain individuals to have a minimum level of health care coverage, is constitutional. If the individual mandate is constitutional then the requirement for individuals to have insurance or pay a penalty remains in effect. If the individual mandate is not constitutional, the Supreme Court may decide whether other related sections also go away. The Supreme Court may also decide whether the law's expansion of the Medicaid eligibility standards is constitutional.
Here are some possible outcomes of the Supreme Court's decision:
- The Supreme Court could decide that the individual mandate is constitutional and the Medicaid expansion is constitutional. In that case, the law would remain in effect.
- The Supreme Court could decide that the individual mandate is unconstitutional, and decide whether all or related parts of the law would go away. The Supreme Court could also ask a lower court to figure out whether all, or just parts, of the Affordable Care Act should be invalid.
- The Supreme Court could decide that the expansion of Medicaid eligibility standards is unconstitutional. In that case, all or part of the law would go away.
