The ruling by the Supreme Court Thursday has sparked debate across the country. With mostly Democratic supporters cheering the court's ruling and their Republican counterparts largely disapprove.
Lori Johnson, associate professor of political science at Mercer University, stopped by the 13WMAZ studio to delve into the ins and outs of the law.
First of all Johnson spoke directly to those who chant "repeal." Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has said if elected president, a day one goal is to get the ball rolling on repealing the Affordable Care Act.
She says technically the president can't repeal anything, only Congress can. That's why Romney uses the phrase "act to repeal" when discussing the topic.
The professor also spoke to the surprise vote of conservative Justice John Roberts, who proved to be the deciding factor in the historic ruling.
"I think it's clear he went of his way in interpreting the statute in a way that it would be constitutional," Johnson said. "The assumption is he did that to avoid this conflict with the elected branches and overturning their laws."
The professor also spoke to several other facets of the law, including the decision to classify the act as constitutional under the tax code, rather than the commerce clause, as well as the implications the decision will have in the presidential elections.