Court action could prolong health care fight
February 19th, 2012Next months challenge to the Obama-sponsored health care law could affect the care available to most Americans, alter the balance of power between Washington and the states and remain a flash point through this presidential campaign.
Yet there is a path the Supreme Court could take when it hears the case that could delay for years any resolution of a main point of contention.
The core of the law is a requirement that most people buy health insurance by 2014 or face a tax penalty. But looming over the case is a federal policy that restricts the timing of lawsuits connected to the assessment and collection of any tax.
On the first day of their historic session March 26-28, the justices will consider that policy and address whether people who challenge the insurance requirement must first pay the disputed tax and seek a refund before bringing a lawsuit.
Tags: Care, Health Care