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Breaking down SCOTUS Obamacare ruling

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    What did groundbreaking decision mean?

  • Duration 3:21
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A minute but we want to start with even bigger story of the day the supreme court's ruling on obamacare.

President Obama's signature legislative achievement his health care law survived today.

The heart of the law requiring Americans to have health insurance was upheld after a 54 ruling the Chief Justice John Roberts leading the majority.

The 200 plus page ruling is dance.

And legal scholars and reporters have been trying to digest it all day long correspondent Shannon Bream has our lead story tonight.

Hit a 54 opinion in which Chief Justice John Roberts joined the court's liberal wing of the Supreme Court upheld the centerpiece of the president's health care law the individual mandate.

But not of the way the -- supporters thought the justices would.

Roberts wrote quote it is reasonable to construe what congress has done as increasing taxes such legislation is within Congress's power to attacks.

In the majority opinion Roberts made clear that the mandate was not permissible under the commerce clause but rather through Congress's power to tax.

Supporters of the law call it a momentous win for the administration.

It affirms that president Obama's signature legislative achievements.

Is constitutional.

And he's going to look back at congress and the president intended here.

The dissenters which included the man many thought would be the swing vote justice Anthony Kennedy.

Along with justices Antonin Scalia Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito was struck back quotes.

To say that the individual mandate nearly imposes a tax is not to interpret the statute but to rewrite its.

Judicial tax writing is particularly troubling leaders of the group of small business owners who sued the administration over the -- say they're disappointed and concerned about the precedent the High Court has -- -- Apparently according to -- at the Supreme Court.

Congress can pass something as a tax and not call -- that.

That is very I non transparent and very disturbing so small business owners that are have taxes -- -- -- The biggest issues and have for decades -- It is also important to know what the majority opinion did not say.

The justices declining to wade into what the court thinks of the law itself Roberts wrote quotes.

The court does not express any opinion on the wisdom of the affordable care -- under the constitution that judgment is reserved to the people.

The majority didn't modify a portion of the law as relates to the expansion of Medicaid under the health care -- 26 states sued saying they couldn't afford the expansion and at the law contained unconstitutionally.

Coercive language.

Threatening the states with the loss of all federal Medicaid funding if they refuse to take on the new influx of millions of new participants.

-- recognizing the expansion can move forward Roberts -- quote.

What congress is not free to do is to penalize states that choose not to participate in that new program by taking away their existing Medicaid funding.

Leading many to question what motivation states will have to cooperate with the expansion.

If they no longer see the suffer substantial penalty for noncompliance.

Finding today -- -- now -- his side Wednesday night.

You went inside we'll do what other -- -- -- -- -- Police say they aren't -- incentives built into the law vetted -- enough right snake along when he met twice.

All -- all happy about doing -- umbrella generating a lot the Supreme Court Shannon thank you.

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