by Paul Tosto, Minnesota Public Radio

June 13, 2012

St. Paul, Minn. The U.S. Supreme Court will rule soon if all or part of President Obama's landmark 2010 health care law is unconstitutional. Here's a look at the law, the Court's review and what's at stake.

Controversy dogged the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act before President Obama signed the bill in March 2010. It was almost a given that it would fall in the Supreme Court's lap.

The law dramatically changed many aspects of the nation's health care system. The changes, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation:

Republicans and Democrats have battled for years over the law's future costs to individuals and employers, and its requirement that citizens buy health insurance or pay a penalty.

That requirement is one of the key pieces the Supreme Court has under constitutional review.

Key questions NewsHour Supreme Court analyst Marcia Coyle told PBS the justices agreed to decide several questions about the health care law:

Leavitt Partners, a health care consulting firm led by former Utah Republican Gov. Michael Leavitt, has a very readable infographic forecasting the politics of the potential Supreme Court decision. An example:

No matter how the Supreme Court rules, some of the nation's largest health insurers say they'll keep pieces of the Affordable Care Act in place. That includes the nation's largest insurer, Minnesota-based UnitedHealth Group Inc.

Original post:

MPR News Primer: Federal health care law