Supreme Court Will Review Constitutionality Of Health Care Reform

On Monday, November 14, 2011, the United States Supreme Court agreed to decide the constitutionality of the sweeping health care reform law, known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

The Court agreed to hear two major questions: whether the law’s “individual mandate” provision is unconstitutional, and if so, whether the entire law, with its 450 sections, is likewise unconstitutional. Five and a half hours of oral arguments have been scheduled and are likely to be held in late February or March 2012. A decision will likely be made by June 2012.

The Supreme Court’s decision will address the broad issue of whether requiring nearly all Americans to buy health insurance by 2014 or face financial penalties is an improper exercise of federal authority.

Legal analysts believe the health care issue will be the biggest case tackled by the Supreme Court in a decade, and will shine new political light on the role of courts in deciding these kinds of huge social issues.