By John Solomon
How the government's punishing of the exposure of official wrongdoing can linger for years
President Obama's health care law has helped millions of Americans obtain insurance coverage, prescription-drug discounts and premium rebates — but with only part of the overhaul in place and widespread confusion about what it does, the administration is still struggling to sell it to voters.
No matter how the Supreme Court rules on President Obama's health care law this month, major insurers have promised they'll still cover children up to age 26 and pay for preventative services without charging co-pays — but there's no telling the fate of hundreds of other provisions in the imperiled overhaul.
Looking for cash to pay for the payroll-tax cut, Republicans are trying to reclaim some of the funding going into President Obama's Affordable Care Act — a move that could make the law's signature health exchanges less attractive to the people Democrats were trying to help.
The Supreme Court said Monday it will take up challenges to President Obama's health care law next year, setting the stage for a ruling on the president's trademark achievement amidst his bid for reelection.
"A lot of people may have noticed their flu shot was free this year, but might not have credited it to the Affordable Care Act, so I think a lot of the effects may have gotten unnoticed," said Tim Jost, a professor at Washington and Lee University who is a specialist on the health care law.
"We could conceivably have nine different opinions," Mr. Jost said.
