Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments on Constitutionality of Health Reform in March of 2012

The U.S. Supreme Court has announced that it will hear oral arguments in the collection of cases challenging the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (“PPACA”) from March 26 to March 28, 2012. The justices have set aside Tuesday, March 27^th to hear arguments regarding the constitutionality of the PPACA’s individual mandate, which requires all Americans who can afford health coverage to have such coverage in place or face a penalty.  The remaining arguments will focus on whether the Anti-Injunction Act of 1867 bars the Court from hearing arguments on the individual mandate’s constitutionality until the law goes into effect in 2014, whether the entire PPACA must be overturned if the individual mandate is declared unconstitutional, and whether the law improperly expands the Medicaid program.  The Supreme Court is expected to rule on these issues by late June of 2012.