A landmark ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court today upheld the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, more commonly known as Obamacare.
Many young people, including students and college graduates, tend to be uninsured, said Dr. Dylan Roby, a professor of health services at the UCLA School of Public Health.
In a 5-4 ruling, the court stated that it is constitutional for the federal government to require all citizens to obtain health insurance meeting federal standards or otherwise pay a fine of $695 per person or $2,085 per family.
First signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010, the act had long been opposed by Republicans, who claimed that the mandated purchase of health care is unconstitutional.
An element of the health care act also keeps individuals up to the age of 26 on their parents’ employer health care plans.
The act allows up to 2.4 million young adults, including 196,000 Californians, to remain insured longer than insurers typically provide for, according to Daily Bruin archives.
A UCLA report from earlier this year projected that the mandate for all citizens to buy health insurance would translate to a 40 percent increase in insured Californians if it becomes law, the Daily Bruin reported earlier this year.
The court did not rule in favor of the act in its entirety, however.
It ruled that the law’s required expansion of Medicaid, a government subsidized health insurance plan for people who need financial assistance, violates states’ rights.
With the ruling against the Medicaid expansion, the federal government no longer has the ability to revoke federal funding from states if they fail to expand their Medicaid programs, Roby said.
President Obama applauded the court’s ruling in a press conference at the White House.
“(The Supreme Court has) reaffirmed a fundamental principle that here in America ““ in the wealthiest nation on Earth ““ no illness or accident should lead to any family’s financial ruin,” he said.
Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) also responded to the ruling.
“Today’s ruling underscores the urgency of repealing this harmful law in its entirety,” he said in a statement on his website. “What Americans want is a common-sense, step-by-step approach to health care reform that will protect Americans’ access to the care they need, from the doctor they choose, at a lower cost.”
Meanwhile, Obama said the government will continue to implement and improve portions of the health care act, which will go in effect in 2014.
House majority leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) stated in a press conference today that Republican lawmakers will continue to fight against the health care act. He tweeted that the House will vote to fully repeal the act on July 11.
Compiled by Antonio Gonzalez, Bruin contributor.