Right Change: Supreme Court to Rule on Obamacare Thursday

The Supreme Court of the United States will hand down its ruling on Obamacare Thursday in what promises to be a landmark decision, no matter which way the members vote. Leaders from both political parties are bracing for three possible results of the court’s deliberations and each comes with its own political and governmental consequences. The court could uphold the entire law, uphold parts of the law but strike down the individual healthcare mandate, or overturn the entire law altogether. Who wins the White House in the fall could very easily be traced back to what the court decides in this case.

The President would, of course, celebrate mightily if the court upholds the entire law. If they uphold everything but the mandate, questions arise as to whether the bill can be funded or not. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi made this point late last week. “You have to have the mandate in order for this to work from a financial standpoint,” said Pelosi in her weekly press conference. The thought behind the financial collapse is if the insurance companies don’t get the income from the millions of proposed new customers the mandate allegedly delivers, they won’t be able to handle the financial burden placed on them by the law’s new coverage requirements.

Republicans would potentially be happy with either of the other two options – anything but an approval of the entire law. However, some insiders are suggesting presidential challenger Mitt Romney could benefit from any ruling of the court, even if they uphold the law in its entirety. The American people are so split over this law (recent polls) show over 54% want the entire law overturned) that Romney could potentially gain independent voters by running his campaign on how he would immediately repeal the law in 2013. Of course, a complete overturning of Obamacare could spell political ruin for the President. After spending the bulk of his first term pushing this law, it would be fatal to have it thrown out, thereby rendering his first term useless.

The stakes are high, especially given the constitutional implications of the ruling. This court will set a huge precedent on what the federal government can force Americans to do. They will also set the course for how healthcare in general will be structured in this country going forward. And yes, this decision might very well decide the general election on November 6th. Needless to say, Thursday will be a very big day.

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