The Affordable Care Act has survived the Supreme Court—without question a victory for President Obama—but that doesn't mean it's a breeze from here on out. Some of the challenges facing ObamaCare, from the Washington Post and the New York Times:
- The election: Mitt Romney has pledged to repeal ObamaCare on "day one" if elected president. Although that isn't literally possible, he could definitely work to derail the law—particularly if Republicans also control Congress after the elections. And they very well might, since today's decision could energize GOP voters. (Remember, the Tea Party was formed largely in response to the Affordable Care Act.)
- Pushback from states: Some states have refused to budge on setting up health insurance exchanges, which are a huge part of the law. If the exchanges make it easy for Americans to purchase health coverage, it will mean a bigger insurance expansion, but a lot depends on how quickly states move now that the Supreme Court has ruled.
- Negative public opinion: Polls regularly find that most Americans don't like ObamaCare—particularly the individual mandate. If enough people rebel and pay the fine rather than purchasing insurance, premiums for the rest of us could spike because the insurance companies aren't getting enough new, healthy customers.
Since the Supreme Court basically turned the law into a tax, President Obama will now have to defend his decision to "tax every American," writes Jennifer Rubin in the
Post. That's good news for Romney, who can now fight "ObamaTax" in his campaign—but Romney faces his share of challenges, too. In particular, he may now find himself needing to specifically explain how he would reform health care if he successfully repealed ObamaCare. Click for
more reactions to the Supreme Court decision. (More
ObamaCare stories.)
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