Opponents of Obama’s healthcare plan believe it puts too much power into government hands. The Court will determine whether it is constitutional for the government to pass legislation that would require Americans to have to sign up with health insurance. Obama’s plan would provide health care to 30 million uninsured Americans and aims at lowering healthcare costs. The direction the bill takes will have a great impact on Obama’s campaign for reelection.
While the plan has been compared by supporters to other successful plans such as the Social Security Act, the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act, detractors regard it as an impingement of freedom.
“This is an unprecedented use of congressional power,” said Paul Clement, who is representing 26 states who have brought a challenge against the plan to the Supreme Court. He considers such government mandates as getting worse and worse if it continues in this direction.
Of the justices who will decide, the four liberals, who were appointed under Democratic presidents, are anticipated to support the bill, one of the five conservative appointees, Justice Clarence Thomas, is anticipated to vote against it, the four others may go either way.
“However the court rules,” said court blogger Tom Goldstein, “its decision is going to be cited for the next 250 years. Nothing in modern American history compares.”