Mass. Keeps Close Eye On Supreme Court Health Care Hearings

http://www.wbur.org/2012/03/29/mass-scotus-health

BOSTON — The fate of President Obama’s health care overhaul now lies in the hands of the U.S. Supreme Court and observers aren’t expecting a decision until this summer.

The unprecedented combination of health care policy and legal theory has kept many Boston-area residents glued to their computers, radios, televisions and phones for updates.

“I’ve been mildly obsessed with the hearings,” said Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts CEO Andrew Dreyfus. “I’ve been listening to them and reading the transcripts at night. It’s just such an incredible moment of both constitutional history and political theater.”

Blue Cross filed an amicus brief on the central issue before the high court; whether the federal government can require Americans to buy health insurance. Blue Cross argues the individual mandate is constitutional because patient spending on health care crosses state lines.

Many Massachusetts residents were surprised by how the individual mandate was described this week in and outside the Supreme Court.