Supreme Court | featured news

U.S. President Barack Obama pledged on Thursday to implement and improve his signature healthcare law after the Supreme Court upheld it, a decision the president described as a victory for Americans that should put to rest the fight over reform.

Both CNN and Fox News Channel initially reported incorrectly that the law's central provision, requiring virtually all Americans to have health insurance, had been struck down. In an apology, CNN said it "regrets that it didn't wait to report out the full and complete opinion regarding the mandate."

Passed by sharply divided Congress, a sharply divided Supreme Court upholds the health care reform law in a sharply divided, convoluted way. The individual mandate — forcing people to buy health insurance — is unconstitutional. But making people pay a tax if they don’t buy insurance is a constitutional exercise of Congress’ power to tax. So in practice, the mandate stands. So the Supreme Court rules against Obama’s claim that the mandate is not a tax, but because Obama’s wrong, the law stands.

House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner on Thursday renewed his vow to try to repeal President Barack Obama's healthcare law after a divided Supreme Court key parts of it.

Stocks of hospital companies rose sharply and insurance companies fell Thursday after the Supreme Court upheld a requirement that almost all Americans carry health insurance. The stock of Hospital Corp. of America, the largest private hospital chain in the United States, rose a little more than 7 percent. Quest Diagnostics, which runs laboratories, rose almost 3 percent.

The Supreme Court this morning upheld President Obama's Affordable Care Act, the signature piece of legislation put forward by his administration. Chief Justice John Roberts announced the court's judgment that allows the law to go forward with its aim of covering more than 30 million uninsured Americans.

Certain bone marrow donors could soon be compensated for their life-saving stem cells after federal officials declined to take the matter to the U.S. Supreme Court, allowing a lower court order to become law.

Under the healthcare law, insurance companies would be required to cover the panel's recommended weight-loss treatments. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the law this week. In a move that could significantly expand insurance coverage of weight-loss treatments, a federal health advisory panel on Monday recommended that all obese adults receive intensive counseling in an effort to rein in a growing health crisis in America.

Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer said that police agencies can immediately begin enforcing the controversial “show me your papers” provision of the state’s landmark immigration law -- the section that was upheld by the U.S Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court's ruling on the fate of President Barack Obama's 2010 healthcare law will be announced on Thursday, the last day of the high court term, the court said on Monday.