US President Barack Obama hailed yesterday’s decision by the Supreme Court to uphold his health care reforms as a “victory” for people across America and urged its opponents to swing behind the law.

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the health care reforms to insure another 32 million Americans in a major victory for the President, in the middle of a tight re-election contest.

The key provision that underpinned Mr Obama’s health care overhaul, an “individual mandate” requiring almost every US citizen from 2014 to take out health insurance or be subject to a fine, was upheld in a tight 5-4 vote.

Chief Justice John Roberts, the conservative-leaning leader of the court often seen as a bete noire by Democrats, was the unlikely hero for liberals as he provided the key swing vote that saw the massive reforms stand.

Despite the Obama administration’s fears that the court might throw out the whole law, the only restriction as it turned out was on the Medicaid provision, expanding coverage to 16 million more poor Americans.

The court decided that the clause could be upheld but only if the government withdrew its threat to withhold federal Medicaid funding from states that do not comply.

Meanwhile, Republican White House challenger Mitt Romney renewed his campaign pledge yesterday to seek to repeal health care reforms from his first day in office if he wins the elections. Mr Romney said: “What the court did not do on the last day in session, I will do on my first day if elected president – I will act to repeal ‘Obamacare.’ ”

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