As the political world awaits the Supreme Court’s imminent decision on the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) feels confident that the justices will uphold the health care law that has defined much of President Barack Obama’s first term.
“I think we are ironclad on the constitutionality of the bill. We believe in the Constitution. We believe in judicial review,” Pelosi said Friday in an interview on “CBS This Morning.”
The House Democratic leader also reiterated her prediction that the nine justices will uphold the law by a vote of 6-3. Still, Pelosi noted that Democrats have braced themselves “for any eventuality.”
The Supreme Court is expected to announce its ruling on the law — widely known as “Obamacare” — any day, prompting members of both parties to prepare for the political and policy implications of any potential outcome. Prominent Republicans such as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker and Sen. Roy Blunt (R-MO) have suggested that they would be open to retaining certain provisions of the law, including accommodations for patients with pre-existing conditions and children who wish to remain on their parents’ health care coverage until the age of 26.
Pelosi said those tenets are already in place and, as such, it is unlikely that the Court will strike down the entire law.
“It would be really hard to see them roll back (provisions) that the public has become used to,” she told Charlie Rose.
