By Steven Allen Adams
The Inter-Mountain
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday on whether to throw out the federal healthcare law or keep most of it – a lawsuit being watched by opponents and supporters in West Virginia.
The Associated Press reported Tuesday that a majority of Supreme Court justices, including Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Brett Kavanaugh – appointed by two Republican presidents – appeared reluctant to strike down the entirety of the Affordable Care Act.
The ACA – also known as Obamacare for Democratic President Barack Obama – was signed into law in 2010 with most of its provisions phased in by 2016. The ACA expanded health insurance coverage by expanding Medicaid coverage for people below the federal poverty level, premium tax credits to make health insurance more affordable, and marketplaces for people to apply for health insurance.
The healthcare law also requires all U.S. citizens to have health insurance, also called the individual mandate. The law has been argued before the Supreme Court previously, first in 2012 and 2015, which left the law intact. In the 2015 ruling, Roberts said the monetary penalty that issued fines for people without health insurance was a tax and left it in place. In 2017, Congress zeroed out the monetary penalty…
