WASHINGTON (AP) -
President Barack Obama cast the Supreme
Court's election-year vindication of his sweeping federal health care
law as a victory for the American people. His Republican rival Mitt
Romney vowed to repeal it on his first day in office if he wins the
November election.
The high court's ruling
Thursday to uphold the overhaul put an end to what had been one of the
biggest unknowns in the presidential race.
Obama, speaking from the same spot in the White House
where he signed the health care bill into law more than two years ago,
sought to tamp down the political implications of the court's ruling.
The decision, he said, was about upholding the fundamental principle
that no one in America should fall into financial ruin because of
illness.
"Whatever the politics,
today's decision was a victory for people all over this country whose
lives will be more secure because of this law and the Supreme Court's
decision to uphold it," he said.
Romney, who spoke before
the president, doubled-down on his campaign pledge to repeal the law and
cast his candidacy as the next best hope for the millions of Americans
who oppose it.
"If we want to get rid of
Obamacare, we're going to have to replace President Obama," Romney said
from a rooftop in Washington overlooking the U.S. Capitol.
With just over four months
until the nation votes, both Obama and Romney will campaign on the high
court ruling and use it to raise money for their campaigns.
The Romney campaign said it
had collected more than $300,000 in online donations in the hours after
the court announced, in a 5-4 decision, that it was upholding the
central requirement of the health care law: that most individuals must
buy health insurance or pay a penalty.
Obama said that mandate was essential to making the nation's health insurance system workable and affordable.
"That's why even though I
knew it wouldn't be politically popular, and resisted the idea when I
ran for this office, we ultimately included a provision in the
Affordable Care Act that people who can afford to buy health insurance
should take the responsibility to do so," he said. "In fact, this idea
has enjoyed support from members of both parties, including the current
Republican nominee for president."
Romney, as governor of Massachusetts, signed a health care law on which Obama modeled the federal law.
The decision means the
historic overhaul will continue to go into effect over the next several
years, affecting the way people receive and pay for personal medical
care. The ruling also handed Obama a campaign-season victory in
rejecting arguments that Congress went too far in requiring most
Americans to have health insurance.
The Obama and Romney campaigns have spent months quietly preparing how they would respond to the ruling.
While the White House
publically expressed confidence that the overhaul would be upheld, Obama
aides feared the political ramifications for the president if the law
were to be overturned.
Some Romney aides believe
the court's decision could energize Republican voters and prove to be
politically positive for the presumptive GOP nominee.
The court's ruling will
have a far-reaching impact on the nation's health care system. About 30
million of the 50 million uninsured Americans would get coverage in 2014
when a big expansion begins.
Polling suggests that most
Americans oppose the law, but an overwhelming majority want Congress and
the president to find a new remedy if were struck down.
House Republicans have
pledged to hold quick votes to repeal the law, though those efforts were
certain to be blocked by the Democratic-controlled Senate.
Romney said Thursday that
he would replace the health care law if elected. He outlined broad goals
for a substitute but did not say specifically what policies he would
advocate. Romney said he wants people to be able to keep their current
health insurance and ensure all Americans have access to affordable
insurance. He also said he wants to allow people who maintain continuous
health insurance coverage to be able to stay insured even if they
change plans and have a pre-existing medical condition.
The court's announcement
was followed almost immediately by a barrage of advertisements and
fundraising appeals from Democrats and Republicans all trying to cast
the decision in the most advantageous light for their candidates.
Obama's campaign began
trying to raise money off the ruling even before it was announced. In a
Thursday morning fundraising email with the subject line "Today's
Decision," Obama campaign manager Jim Messina told supporters "no matter
what, today is an important day to have Barack Obama's back."
Outside groups also are
ready to unleash a flood of advertising, including a 12-state, $9
million ad buy from the conservative political action group Americans
for Prosperity.
___
AP White House Correspondent Ben Feller and Associated Press writer Kasie Hunt contributed to this report.
___
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