If ObamaCare is struck down, would Americans miss it?

The president's health-care overhaul is persistently unpopular. And yet, its many benefits might be missed if the law is voided by the Supreme Court

More than half of Americans disapprove of President Obama's health-care overhaul, which may be struck down by the Supreme Court on Thursday.
(Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

This Thursday, the Supreme Court is expected to hand down a ruling on ObamaCare, a law opposed by 56 percent of Americans, according to a new Reuters-Ipsos poll. However, when the law is broken down into its component parts, a majority of respondents — and even a majority of Republicans — support almost all the main provisions, such as subsidies for the uninsured and a ban on insurance companies denying coverage to those with preexisting conditions. During oral arguments in March, the conservative members of the Supreme Court seemed skeptical of the constitutionality of the individual mandate — a deeply unpopular measure that requires most Americans to purchase health insurance — but the law's supporters say the more popular provisions cannot survive without the mandate. If the court strikes down all or part of the law, will Americans miss it?

Yes. ObamaCare addresses a major social problem: If the Supreme Court eviscerates the law, the country will become familiar with "the Joni Mitchell Rule, named after the folk singer who instructed us that 'you don't know what you've got till it's gone,'" says E.J. Dionne at The Washington Post. ObamaCare will help 30 million uninsured Americans get vital coverage, reduce insurance costs for businesses, and fix an out-of-control insurance market that's only getting more expensive. ObamaCare is so much more than the individual mandate — "it's about beginning to bring an end to the scandal of a very rich nation leaving so many of its citizens without basic health coverage."

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