Federal Appeals Court Upholds Constitutionality of Healthcare Reform

A federal appeals court in Cincinnati has upheld President Barack Obama's health care overhaul.

Published on June 30, 2011

The three-judge panel delivered a long opinion Wednesday with disagreement on some issues. But it affirmed a Michigan federal judge's earlier ruling that Congress can require Americans to have minimum insurance coverage.

The decision is the first at the appeals court level and legal experts say they expect the issue to ultimately be addressed by the Supreme Court later this year or next year, a critical time for Obama as he seeks re-election in 2012.