Just over two weeks ago, on June 28th, a flurry of activity filled Washington, D.C. as the Supreme Court announced its ruling on the constitutionality of what some news sources are calling President Obama’s signature domestic policy – the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

It was undoubtedly one of the most significant Supreme Court rulings of the term, if not the decade, and will have an impact on politics and public policy for years to come. As soon as the ruling was released, breathless reporters clutching copies of the opinion literally ran to share the news.

Image courtesy of Mark Wilson / Getty Images

Congress passed the Affordable Care Act (also known as “Obamacare”) back in 2010 amid much controversy, and almost immediately after its passage, 26 states, as well as the National Federation of Independent Business, filed suit in a federal district court against the government, claiming that the law’s “individual mandate” exceeded the powers delegated to Congress by the Constitution.

Opponents of the ACA were (and continue to be) concerned about some of the implications of the law, including the ability of the federal government to require individuals to purchase health insurance or pay a penalty or the impact of the law on the federal budget deficit, to name a few issues.

The Court upheld the law, so many of the provisions that had already been in place will continue, and other portions of the law will eventually take effect in the coming years.

So what does this mean? Well, for starters, insurance companies can no longer kick young adults off of their parents’ health insurance plans – young adults can stay on their parents’ plans until they turn 26. Insurance companies will be required to provide preventative care, and can no longer deny coverage due to a patient’s pre-existing condition.

Considering that oftentimes women are charged higher insurance premiums – or were, until now – being female may have been a kind of “pre-existing condition”.

Dania Palanker, the senior health policy advisor at the National Women’s Law Center wrote:

These are a just a few promises the law makes to me:

I will not be denied coverage for a preexisting condition. I will have access to preventive services without copays or deductibles. When I become eligible for Medicare (in many, many, many years), I will not have to worry about a gap in my prescription drug coverage.

My friends don’t need to worry that their young children will hit an annual or lifetime dollar limit on their insurance.

Basically: everyone wins, even the opponents of the law. For more information, Politico.com has a great rundown of most of the provisions in the law and when they will be enacted. Check it out here. To take a look at the Court’s ruling itself, go here. And to look at the original law, go here.

What do you think about the health care law? If you’re not in the U.S., how does the law (or what you’ve heard of it) compare with your country’s health care system? Leave a comment and share!

Written by Savannah Thomas
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Opinions stated in our editorials do not necessarily reflect the opinions of Feminspire and it’s staff as a whole, but instead reflect the opinions of the writer.

Header image courtesy of UPI/Kevin Dietsch.