In This Issue:

Leading the News; Implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA); Other HHS and Federal Regulatory Initiatives; Other Congressional and State Initiatives; and Hearings & Mark-ups Scheduled.

Excerpt from Leading the News

On June 28th, in a much-awaited decision in the landmark case against the ACA brought by 26 states and the National Federation of Independent Business, the Supreme Court largely upheld the health reform law and affirmed the constitutionality of the individual mandate by the narrow margin of 5-4. Conservative Chief Justice John Roberts, appointed by President George W. Bush, sided with the 4 liberal-leaning Justices and provided the deciding opinion in favor of the ACA. The Court found that the ACA’s individual mandate was not a valid use of Congress’s interstate commerce power but was a valid exercise of Congress’s taxing power. The law’s expansion of the Medicaid program was held to be unconstitutionally coercive of state governments, but rather than strike down the expansion entirely, the Court ruled that it could continue as an option for states.