Health Care Law Upheld

Supreme Court Decision: The court ruled that the individual mandate was constitutional, defining it as a tax, with Chief Justice John Roberts joining the more liberal justices in the majority. However, the court limited the federal government's power to punish states that opt out of the Medicaid expansion. The text of the decision is available in pdf form here. CNN has a simple rundown of what the decision means in practical terms.

Reactions: Conservative blogger Avik Roy writes: "A very surprising decision. Nearly all of the lower courts did not buy the argument that the mandate was a tax." Sarah Kliff at the Washington Post's Wonkblog points out that there are still challenges that could derail the law.

Polls: New polls show that most Americans don’t like the health care law, they are unsatisfied with the current health system, but they don’t want their own health coverage to change.

California Budget: While the court ruling means that more low-income people will have health insurance, the insurance children have in California may not be quite as comprehensive in the future. Lawmakers agreed to scuttle a popular program which provided low-income children access to health care. Those children will instead be covered by Medi-Cal if the budget is approved.

Caricacture by DonkeyHotey via Flickr