Court says mandate counts as a tax
In a 5-4 decision Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the individual mandate of President Obama's universal health care legislation, providing a major election year victory for the administration.
The mandate would require most Americans to get insurance by 2014 or pay a fine. In the majority opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the court upheld the mandate as a tax.
"The Affordable Care Act's requirement that certain individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably be characterized as a tax," Roberts wrote.
"Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness," he concluded.
Read the full text of the Supreme Court's decision.
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Read more about the Supreme Court's decision:
USA Today: Supreme Court upholds Obama health care law
Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court Upholds Mandate as Tax
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