Is Obamacare finally safe after the latest court win?
The 360 shows you diverse perspectives on the days top stories and debates. Whats happening  The Supreme Court last week upheld the Affordable Care Act, knocking down the latest attempt by conservatives to dismantle former President Barack Obamas signature legislative achievement. In a 7-2 decision, the court ruled that Texas and other Republican-led states calling for the ACA to be overturned lacked standing to challenge the law because they couldnt prove it caused them measurable harm. The justices did not address the underlying argument behind the states case, centered on the claim that the laws individual mandate became unconstitutional when Congress reduced the penalty for not having health insurance to $0 in 2019. Ever since it was enacted in 2010, the law commonly known as Obamacare has faced constant GOP efforts to eliminate it. There have been more than 2,000 attempts to have the law invalidated in the courts. Last weeks ruling marks the third time those challenges have advanced all the way to the Supreme Court, only to be rejected by a majority of justices. Republicans in Congress have tried to repeal the ACA more than 70 times. Former President Donald Trump vowed to repeal and replace the ACA and came within a single vote in the Senate of fulfilling that promise in 2017. Why theres debate  Democrats celebrated the courts decision, arguing that it marked a decisive end to more than a decade of GOP attempts to repeal Obamacare. This ruling reaffirms what we have long known to be true: the Affordable Care Act is here to stay, Obama tweeted last week. Many legal experts say the fact that two of Trumps three appointees  Justices Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett  voted to uphold the ACA shows that future efforts to convince the court to sink the legislation are doomed to fail. Even some on the right have argued that it may be time for conservatives to move on from the Obamacare fight. With the Affordable Care Act just constantly woven deeper and deeper into the system, its eventually going to be pretty hard to unravel from the system, Sen. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., said. Polls show that the ACA has become increasingly popular with the public in recent years, which could stop Republicans in Congress from trying to repeal it even if they regain legislative control in the next few years. Story continues  Others contend that attempts to get rid of Obamacare are far from over. Some state-level Republican attorneys general have vowed to continue filing legal challenges to the ACA. Its possible, some argue, that the underlying argument of the most recent case could ultimately be convincing to a majority of justices if a case involving plaintiffs with stronger standing is filed. There are also a number of active cases that could threaten key elements of the ACA  such as the requirement that health plans cover birth control  without eliminating the law in its entirety. Whats next  Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra told reporters the Biden administration had been waiting for this case to be resolved before moving forward with plans to bolster the ACA. Weve had to hold back, he said. Now we can talk about how we can build on it.  A long list of proposed health care reforms has been put forward by Democrats, including creating a public option, changing how Medicare negotiates prescription drug prices and lowering the Medicare eligibility age from 65 to 60. The prospects that any or all of those plans can get through Congress are unclear. Perspectives  Obamacare is safe  Republican attempts to undermine the ACA have only made it stronger  Obamacare is getting stronger every time the Republicans try to kill it.  Elie Mystal, the Nation  The Supreme Court has shown its not willing to rewrite health care policy  Health-care policy badly needs to be addressed. But that remains a task for Congress. It was never the Courts job to do it, and it has been obvious for a decade that the Roberts Court, even with a now stronger conservative majority, intends to defer to Congress.  Andrew C. McCarthy, National Review  The ACA has become too entrenched to be removed  ACA has survived the initial years when it was most vulnerable. With each passing year, it will only become stronger and more cemented. Although ACA cost Obama an enormous amount of political capital and heartache, its become clear that he will have the last laugh. His program has become an integral part of our health care system.  Julian Zelizer, CNN  The GOP only cares about appearing to fight the ACA, not actually dismantling it  Having failed numerous times to kill the ACA in Congress, conservatives took it to court. Again. And even if they failed, it was always more important to be seen to fighting Obamacare, than to actually fight it. ... This campaign was optics, not policymaking.  Jay Michaelson, Daily Beast  Republican enthusiasm for tearing down the law has dwindled  Since no other legal challenges appear on the horizon, and even the feistiest Republicans have given up talking seriously about repeal, it seems safe to say that Obamacare we shall always have with us.  Megan McArdle, Washington Post  Obamacare isnt safe  Democrats celebrating the courts latest ruling are being too optimistic  When that next case comes, and it will, several justices indicated they are ready and willing to strike down the entire ACA. ... It is far from certain the Supreme Court will safeguard the Affordable Care Act the next time the law reaches the courts chambers.  Leah Litman, NBC News  Republicans arent going to give up their efforts to repeal the ACA  I have no doubt that the conservative states ... will figure out another way to challenge the law. They will find a plaintiff who does have standing, and this will all start working its way through the courts again. So this is a huge, huge victory for Obamacare, but it is not the end of the story.  Jeffrey Toobin, CNN  The court could still find the individual mandate unconstitutional down the road  Importantly, the way the Supreme Court decided the case means that it did not rule on the merits of Obamacare itself, meaning that if another case gets to the court, it might still weigh in on that question.  GianCarlo Canaparo, Daily Signal  The entire law may be safe, but key provisions are still under threat  This is not the end of ACA litigation, however. Far from it. ... The ACA created a perfect storm for ongoing litigation, and ongoing litigation we will see. Send your suggestions to the360@yahoonews.com. Read more 360s  Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images