What was the basis of the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2012?
Asked by: Prof. Jamir Heaney PhD | Last update: June 16, 2025Score: 4.2/5 (70 votes)
On what basis did the Supreme Court uphold the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2012?
The Court noted that these programs offer benefits—such as no- or low-cost medical services—unrelated to the individual mandate. Therefore, in the Court's view, individuals interested in those benefits would enroll regardless of the mandate's existence, particularly if the mandate carries no penalty.
What was the constitutional reasoning that the Supreme Court used to uphold the Affordable Care Act?
Although the Supreme Court declared that the law could not have been upheld under an argument based on the regulatory power of Congress under the Commerce Clause, the Court declared that the legislatively-declared "penalty" was constitutional as a valid exercise of the Congressional power to tax, thus upholding the ...
On what basis did the Supreme Court uphold the portion of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act that requires Americans to purchase health insurance?
Thus the Court found the mandate well within Congress's power to tax. While Congress doesn't have the power to require individuals to purchase health insurance, it does have the power to tax those individuals who do not.
What was the reason for the Affordable Care Act?
When fully implemented, the Act will cut the number of uninsured Americans by more than half. The law will result in health insurance coverage for about 94% of the American population, reducing the uninsured by 31 million people, and increasing Medicaid enrollment by 15 million beneficiaries.
Supreme Court Affordable Care Act hearing and what it means for the health care industry
What was the primary goal of the Affordable Care Act?
About the Affordable Care Act
The law has 3 primary goals: Make affordable health insurance available to more people. The law provides consumers with subsidies (“premium tax credits”) that lower costs for households with incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level (FPL).
What is the biggest problem with the Affordable Care Act?
Impact on Individual Insurance
It was also known that consumers would face a very different health insurance world under the ACA, with some people seeing their premiums go down and some seeing them go up, and the majority of Americans seeing higher deductibles, higher copays, and a smaller pool of providers.
What was the US Supreme Court's decision regarding the Affordable Care Act and Medicaid expansion?
The Court decided that states were not required to expand their Medicaid programs and if they chose not to expand they did not risk their current levels of federal funding.
What was the purpose of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 ACA )?
The comprehensive health care reform law enacted in March 2010 to make affordable health insurance available to more people, expand Medicaid, and support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care generally.
How did the Supreme Court make the 2010 Affordable Care Act constitutional?
The majority found the mandate and the penalty fee constitutional under Congress' power to levy taxes. The penalty would be collected by the IRS through individual tax returns. "The federal government does not have the power to order people to buy health insurance," Roberts wrote for the majority.
How did the Supreme Court approve and defined the ACA as constitutionally legal?
majority did so by upholding the mandate under Congress' taxing power. However, the Court also addressed the constitutionality of the individual mandate under the other two powers asserted by the federal government, the Commerce Clause and the Necessary and Proper Clause.
Which Court decision initially upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act ACA )?
The Supreme Court issued its much-anticipated opinion in California v. Texas regarding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), rejecting the third major challenge to the law.
What was the effect of the Supreme Court's decision upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act quizlet?
What was the effect of the Supreme Court's decision upholding the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act? It made neither side completely happy, but enhanced the credibility of the Court over the long term. the Federalists had "retired into the judiciary as a strong hold."
On what basis did Attorneys General challenge the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in 26 states?
On February 26, 2018, a collection of attorneys general and governors from twenty states filed a federal lawsuit in Texas v. United States, arguing that Congress lacks the authority to impose an “individual mandate” to purchase health insurance.
Under which constitutional power afforded to Congress was Obamacare upheld as constitutional?
Congress passed the Act pursuant to its authority under the Constitution's “Commerce Clause,” which states that Congress shall have the power to “regulate Commerce . . .
What was the intention of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Why is it so controversial?
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) is controversial due to disagreements about the requirement to buy health insurance, its failure to increase the number of insured people, and instances of abuse and fraud within the program.
What is the intent of managed care?
The term managed care or managed healthcare is used in the United States to describe a group of activities intended to reduce the cost of providing health care and providing American health insurance while improving the quality of that care ("managed care techniques").
What was one of the main goals of the Affordable Care Act?
The intent of the ACA is to reform how insurance and health systems work to ultimately improve health care access, quality, and individual and public cost. If successful, the ACA has the potential to improve individual health and, ultimately, population health.
How did the Affordable Care Act alter Medicaid?
The ACA also made a number of other significant Medicaid changes, such as preventing states from reducing children's Medicaid eligibility until FY 2019; setting a uniform standard for children's eligibility at 138 percent FPL; streamlining eligibility, enrollment, and renewal processes; and updating payments to safety- ...
What does the US Constitution say about healthcare?
The Constitution does not contain the words “health,” “health care,” “medical care,” or “medicine.” But if we look deeper, a more nuanced picture emerges. The Court has found rights to privacy, to bodily integrity, and to refuse medical care within the vague right to “due process” contained in the Constitution.
Why was the Affordable Care Act upheld?
The Court noted that these programs offer benefits—such as no- or low-cost medical services—unrelated to the individual mandate. Therefore, in the Court's view, individuals interested in those benefits would enroll regardless of the mandate's existence, particularly if the mandate carries no penalty.
Who benefits most from the Affordable Care Act?
The biggest winners from the law include people between the ages of 18 and 34; blacks; Hispanics; and people who live in rural areas.
What are the reasons for the Affordable Care Act?
- Make affordable health insurance available to more people. ...
- Expand Medicaid to cover all adults with income below 138% of the FPL. ...
- Support innovative medical care delivery methods designed to lower the costs of health care generally.