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Supreme Court Healthcare Decision to Come This Week

This is the final week of the U.S. Supreme Court’s term, meaning the long awaited decision on President Obama’s healthcare initiative will come by Thursday.

With the court’s partisan split of 5-4 in favor of Republicans, many observers expect the court to strike down the entire healthcare law or at least its individual mandate provision, which requires every American to carry health insurance—in order to bring down costs—or face a fine. Ironically, the individual mandate was initially a Republican proposal, but in recent years as it got picked up by Democrats, Republicans now act as if it is akin to the Communist Manifesto.

While a decision by the court to strike down provisions of the healthcare law will undoubtedly be embarrassing to the president, since it was the signature legislative triumph of his first term, many analysts think such a move by the court could be a blessing in disguise for Obama because it could energize his liberal base and bring many more of his now tepid supporters to the polls when they realize what’s at stake in keeping Obama in office—particularly since it is believed that at least one Supreme Court seat could open up in the next term with the expected retirement of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who turned 79 in March.

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