SPEAK OUT: Supreme Court Upholds Obama Health Care Law

Updated 10:51 a.m.

In a 5-4 decision Thursday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Obama's health care law in a splintered, complex opinion that appears to give President Obama a major victory, according to USA TODAY.

Basically. the justices said that the individual mandate -- the requirement that most Americans must buy health insurance or pay a fine -- is constitutional as a tax.

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 Chief Justice John Roberts -- a conservative appointed by President George W. Bush -- provided the key vote to preserve the landmark health care law.

The controversial health care bill was first introduced to Congress in 2009, and Obama signed it into law in March 2010.

According to the Washington Post, the court reviewed four questions: whether it was within Congress’s constitutional powers to impose an “individual mandate” to purchase health insurance; whether all or any additional parts of the law must be struck down if the mandate is rejected; whether an expansion of Medicaid was unduly coercive on the states; and whether all of those questions can even be reviewed before the mandate takes effect.

The most crucial issue before the court was considered to be the individual mandate.

The controversial health care provision was signed into law in 2010.

The full Supreme Court decision is here.

Suwanee Patch will have more updates of Thursday's cruciai decision.