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US Supreme Court hears challenge to Obama healthcare law | US Supreme Court hears challenge to Obama healthcare law |
(40 minutes later) | |
The US Supreme Court has finished the first day of a landmark hearing on the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's signature healthcare reform. | |
Twenty-six US states have brought the Republican-led challenge to the administration's 2010 law. | Twenty-six US states have brought the Republican-led challenge to the administration's 2010 law. |
The act expands health coverage to 32 million Americans, but critics say its requirement that people buy insurance intrudes on civil liberties. | The act expands health coverage to 32 million Americans, but critics say its requirement that people buy insurance intrudes on civil liberties. |
A ruling is expected by late June - in the thick of the election season. | A ruling is expected by late June - in the thick of the election season. |
The Washington DC court, which holds about 400 people, was packed with lawmakers, senior Obama administration officials and members of the public on Monday. | |
People had been camping outside the white-marble building since Friday. | |
The broccoli question | The broccoli question |
The nine Supreme Court justices, five of them appointed by Republican presidents and four by Democrats, have allotted six hours of argument - the longest in decades - for the case. | |
Because of the huge interest, the court will release daily audio recordings from the three days of proceedings. | |
It is one of the most politically explosive cases since the 2000 election wrangle that saw the White House awarded to Republican George W Bush over Democrat Al Gore, or the hearings on the 1974 Watergate tapes that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation. | It is one of the most politically explosive cases since the 2000 election wrangle that saw the White House awarded to Republican George W Bush over Democrat Al Gore, or the hearings on the 1974 Watergate tapes that led to President Richard Nixon's resignation. |
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, passed in March 2010, has been the divisive centrepiece of President Obama's term in office. | |
If upheld, the law would forbid insurance companies from denying coverage because of pre-existing medical conditions. It would also limit how much they can charge older people. | |
But the most controversial aspect of the law is its core requirement that most people buy health insurance or pay a tax penalty. | But the most controversial aspect of the law is its core requirement that most people buy health insurance or pay a tax penalty. |
Monday's hearing focused on whether the judges actually have the power to rule on the case. | |
They heard 90 minutes of argument about an obscure 19th-century piece of legislation - the 1867 Anti-Injunction Act - which deters legal challenges to any tax law that has not yet taken effect. | |
The healthcare law's insurance mandate does not begin until 2014, and those who flout the requirement to have insurance would not face a penalty until the following year. | |
The justices could decide they are unable to tackle the case, sparing them the task of ruling on such an intensely partisan issue with November's general election looming. | The justices could decide they are unable to tackle the case, sparing them the task of ruling on such an intensely partisan issue with November's general election looming. |
The most eagerly anticipated day is Tuesday, when the judges will hear arguments on the constitutionality of the individual insurance requirement. | The most eagerly anticipated day is Tuesday, when the judges will hear arguments on the constitutionality of the individual insurance requirement. |
The 26 states led by Florida say the federal government has no power to force individuals to buy health insurance. | |
Critics say that if Congress can require citizens to buy health insurance, they could also force consumers to eat broccoli, and purchase gym membership or buy American-made cars. | Critics say that if Congress can require citizens to buy health insurance, they could also force consumers to eat broccoli, and purchase gym membership or buy American-made cars. |
However, the Obama administration says that Americans who have no healthcare simply push their unpaid health bills upon taxpayers, who are forced to subsidise emergency room visits. | However, the Obama administration says that Americans who have no healthcare simply push their unpaid health bills upon taxpayers, who are forced to subsidise emergency room visits. |
On Wednesday, two questions will be heard. | On Wednesday, two questions will be heard. |
The first is whether, if the individual mandate is declared unconstitutional, the rest of the law can stand or must be struck down in its entirety. | The first is whether, if the individual mandate is declared unconstitutional, the rest of the law can stand or must be struck down in its entirety. |
The other is whether Congress unfairly burdened states when it expanded eligibility under Medicaid, the medical care programme for poor people. | The other is whether Congress unfairly burdened states when it expanded eligibility under Medicaid, the medical care programme for poor people. |
The US was the only major developed country without a national healthcare system until President Obama's reform. | |
Opinion polls have shown that the public is at best undecided about the benefits of the healthcare law, while most Americans believe the insurance requirement is unconstitutional. | |
Republicans seeking to foil President Obama's bid for a second term have vowed to repeal it if elected. | |
Mitt Rommey, who is the front-runner to be this year's Republican presidential candidate, called the law an "unfolding disaster for the American economy". | |
His rival, Rick Santorum, appeared outside the court after Monday's hearing to say that "Obamacare" should be the central issue of the forthcoming election campaign. | |
Who's uninsured? Health insurance rates across the US | Who's uninsured? Health insurance rates across the US |