Can the Federal Government force you to buy health insurance?
It is the core of the 2010 Health Care Reform Law and the controversial individual mandate took center stage inside, and outside the supreme court Tuesday.
"We urge the supreme court to protect our future by upholding the law.
Those gathered here in support of the president and his plan for america are wrong."
For two hours the court heard arguments on the biggest question of these three days, can the Federal Government require Americans to purchase health insurance, and impose fines against those who don't?
"Here the Ggvernment is saying that the Federal Government has a duty to tell the individual citizen that it must act, and that is different from what we have in previous cases."
The court appeared sharply divided. The liberal justices seemed somewhat supportive of the individual mandate's constitutionality.
"I look back into history, and i see it seems pretty clear that if there are substantial effects on interstate commerce, Congress can act."
But more conservative members were skeptical.
"Everybody has to buy food sooner or later, so you define the market as food, therefore, everybody is in the market; therefore, you can make people buy broccoli."
One legal analyst says the line of questioning tuesday could offer clues of what's to come.
"Most of the time the questions that the justices ask in oral arguments are very good predictors of how they're gonna vote."
Oral arguments wrap up wednesday, when the justices consider severability, or whether the health care law could stand, if the individual mandate is thrown out.
