health insurance

President Obama's health care overhaul was largely based on one that then-Gov. Mitt Romney signed into law in Massachusetts in 2006.

Now, more than 98 percent of state residents have health insurance, and the law has drawn unexpected supporters.

But controlling costs remains a challenge.

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It is the second appellate court ruling affirming the government's right to require individuals to buy health insurance or pay a penalty.

A federal appeals court in Cincinnati also upheld the law, but an appeals court in Atlanta struck down the insurance mandate.

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Five Republicans joined every Democrat in killing the measure. The plan called for transforming Medicare into a program in which future beneficiaries — people now 54 years old and younger — would be given a subsidy to purchase health insurance rather than have the government directly pay hospital and doctor bills.

Republicans in the House of Representatives are bringing to a vote a bill that would eliminate tax subsidies for health insurance plans that cover abortion.

Some small business owners say it could have unintended consequences that penalize them.

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At the heart of the Republican plan is a proposal to give everybody in the program a subsidy to buy private health insurance.

Its supporters say it would reduce health care spending. But critics contend it allows the government to spend less on Medicare by making patients pay more — potentially a lot more.

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A bill introduced by House Democrats would require members of Congress to declare whether they are taking health benefits subsidized by taxpayers.

The bill has next to no chance of passing because Republicans control the House. But its introduction puts some heat on the GOP.

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One GOP-backed bill would make it more expensive for people to buy private health insurance that includes coverage for abortions.

The abortion bills face strong opposition in the Senate.

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U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson sided with 26 states that have sued to block the law. His ruling Monday accepted without trial the states' argument that the new law violates people's rights by forcing them to buy health insurance by 2014 or face penalties.

The case is likely to go to the U.S. Supreme Court.

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This week, House Republicans passed a bill to repeal the new health care law. The bill is expected to fall flat in the Senate.

Behind all the rhetoric over the health care law lies a constitutional debate over whether Congress has the authority to force Americans to buy insurance.

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The administration said repeal would return the nation to a time the sick could lose health insurance. The administration cited the CBO estimate that a repeal would boost deficits over a 10-year period by $230 billion.

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