Court Ruling on Health Reform Law Expected Tomorrow

Anticipation is building for a Supreme Court decision on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The Court is expected to issue a ruling tomorrow on whether the individual mandate to buy health insurance, contained in the health reform law, is constitutional. If the mandate is struck down, the Court will also issue a ruling on whether the provision is “severable” from the rest of the law—that is, whether the entire reform law is unconstitutional or other provisions of the law can stand though the mandate is struck down.

The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday on a poll in which nearly 4 in 10 Americans say that they would have "mixed feelings" if the justices struck down the whole law. Just over 25% said they would be very pleased, while 17% said they would be very disappointed by that outcome. Meanwhile the White House said it remained convinced the legislation would be upheld. "We are, as I have said in the past, confident that the Affordable Care Act is constitutional, in keeping with decades of precedent under the commerce clause," White House spokesman Jay Carney told Reuters yesterday.

Look to Psychiatric News for coverage of the decision. For more information see Psychiatric News here.

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