Supreme Court Start Hearings on PPACA

Beginning March 26, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear six hours of oral arguments spread out over three days regarding the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and its provisions.

In November, the court agreed to hear the lawsuit brought forth by 26 states, the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) and two individuals. The main issue at hand and the subject of the lawsuit is the claim that Congress exceeded its constitutional power by instituting the “individual mandate,” sometimes called the “minimum coverage provision,” which requires that most Americans buy health insurance starting in 2014 or face a fiscal penalty.