It's a bright new day in America. The Supreme Court just upheld the entirety of the Affordable Care Act. We now join the ranks of every other industrialized country that provides affordable healthcare to its citizens. In an earlier article I wrote on the , I predicted that the provisions of the Affordable Care Act would be upheld.
The Court upheld the individual mandate provision as a mere extension of Congress's taxing authority. In essence, Chief Justice Roberts, writing the opinion said, "It's not even that serious." The Court did not need to reach the question of whether Congress had acted outside of its commerce authority to direct individuals' actions which substantially affect interstate commerce. Instead, the Court said the "mandate" could be viewed as merely a tax, which is constitutional under Congress's authority to tax and spend for the general welfare.
And from now on the general welfare takes on a whole new meaning.
