The Supreme Court has issued a ruling on the Affordable Care Act (ACA), President Obama's 2010 sweeping health care overhaul. In a word: upheld. But the 5-4 vote along the expected ideological lines with Chief Justice John Roberts swinging to the left for the ultimate decision may not be as black-and-white as the headlines at first suggest. 

Mandate and Medicaid

The Court surprised many by upholding the centerpiece of the law and its most controversial component—the individual mandate. The mandate requires most Americans to get insurance by 2014 or pay a financial penalty. (Individuals who have a religious exemption, those not lawfully present in the United States and incarcerated individuals are exempt.) 

"The Affordable Care Act's requirement that certain individuals pay a financial penalty for not obtaining health insurance may reasonably be characterized as a tax," Chief Justice John Roberts wrote. "Because the Constitution permits such a tax, it is not our role to forbid it, or to pass upon its wisdom or fairness." 

In other words, the Court did not find that Americans must be required to buy health insurance as it seems the mandate was intended to function, but rather as a tax if they didn't. While there may be no practical difference to this distinction, there seems to be an ideological one, and as the highest legal precedent-setting body in the United States, the Supreme Court has sent a message, and one that will be heavily analyzed in media coverage for months to come, no doubt. 

The other crucial element of the law that received Supreme Court scrutiny was the expansion of Medicaid eligibility to 133 percent of the federal poverty level. This element of the law came out in the decision as a sort of mixed bag: The Court found the Medicaid expansion provision constitutional, but it did so in a narrower fashion.

Essentially, while maintaining the expansion—and the availability of federal matching fund—the ruling leaves it up to states to decide whether they wish to extend Medicaid coverage to additional beneficiaries, without the risk of losing federal funds for their unexpanded Medicaid plans if they choose not to.

Media Coverage

The historic ruling has received intense media coverage. From the decision's impact on the stock market to what the ruling means for individuals, reporters are looking at this decision from many different angles. We have aggregated most of the stories that broke in the wake of the ruling:

UPDATE (6/29)

The Wall Street Journal: For Health Sector: Forward, March

Indianapolis Star: For Indiana's Uninsured, Health-Care Ruling Provides Some Relief

The Washington Post: Spinning the Supreme Court Ruling on 'Obamacare'

Orlando Sentinel: What the Supreme Court Ruling Means for Floridians

The Atlantic: 'The Umpire' Strikes Back--and The Affordable Care Act Survives;
Health Care Predictions: How Did We Do?

CBS News: How the Affordable Care Act Affects You

The Daily Beast: After Supreme Court Ruling on Obamacare, Get Ready for Tax Attacks

The Record-Courier: Portage County Health Leaders Respond With Optism About Affordable Care Act

(6/28) 

The New York Times: Supreme Court Lets Health Law Largely Stand;
Big Win for Obama Galvanizes G.O.P. Rivals

The Washington Post: Supreme Court upholds health-care law, individual mandate;
 Supreme Court upholds health care law: Think tanks react to ‘Obamacare’ decision;

Reuters: Supreme Court upholds centerpiece of Obama healthcare law

Associated Press: High Court Ruling Benefits Most Health Care Firms

Los Angeles Times: Supreme Court upholds healthcare law as tax measure; 
Dems 'ecstatic,' GOP vows fight as court upholds healthcare law;
Sarah Palin thanks God and Supreme Court for healthcare ruling

Chicago Tribune: Top court upholds healthcare law

MarketWatch: Summary of Supreme Court health care decision

The Root: GOP Snake Oil, Health Care and the Supremes - Despite a propaganda push, the Affordable Care Act has been upheld. But the war isn't over.

Politico: The men behind the health care case;
Supreme Court ruling: Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg heralds SCOTUS decision

Detroit Free Press: Historic Supreme Court ruling to create largest health-care overhaul in decades

Chicago Sun-Times: What Supreme Court health care ruling means to business

Tulsa World: Oklahomans react to the Supreme Court health care decision

Bloomberg Businessweek: Supreme Court Saves (Nearly) Universal Health Care

TIME: Obama’s Big Health Care Win: An Incredible Stroke of Luck

The Rolla Daily News: Physician group reacts to Supreme Court ruling on health care reform

South Bend Tribune: Top court upholds healthcare law in Obama triumph

Daily Herald: Mixed feelings in suburbs on Supreme Court health care decision

StarTribune: Supreme Court upholds heart of Obama health care law

Forbes: The Supreme Court's ObamaCare Ruling Touches Millions Of Americans, But There's A Far Bigger Issue That Affects Us All

The Sacramento Bee: Richard Viguerie on the Supreme Court's Obamacare Ruling: A 21st Century Dred Scott Decision

U.S. News & World Report: Supreme Court's Obamacare Ruling Gives Romney a New Rallying Cry

Napa Valley Register: Local hospitals endorse Supreme Court ruling