Political Reaction to Supreme Court Decision | Video

Jessica Roose | 6/28/2012

In a 5 to 4 decision, the nation`s highest court upheld President Obama`s Affordable Care Act, essentially saying mandatory health insurance is a tax the government can impose. The political arguments have been going on for years, but now people want to know how things will change for them.

While it`s clearly a victory for the president, some politicians in North Dakota say they`re disappointed. Most can agree that they thought the decision was going to come down to a 5 to 4 vote, but some say they thought it would go the other way.

Specifically when it came to the constitutionally of the mandate, which requires that all Americans purchase health insurance.

Ever since the President`s health care law passed two years ago it`s been at the center of controversy. And it was no different when the ruling came down.

Attorney General Wayne Stenehjem had a front row seat to the hearing back in March and says he was surprised by the justice`s ruling.

"Now, however, that the court has spoken this contentious issue will have to move on to political branches of the Federal Government, Congress and the Executive Branch as well as to the legislatures of the various states."

The candidates in the race for U.S. Senate have very different views on the health care law. Republican Rick Berg says the whole thing needs to be repealed.

"It`s way over a trillion dollars in cost now, 1.7 trillion. It cuts medicare by 500 billion and puts a panel of un-elected bureaucrats really in charge of medicare decisions."

He says he would push for a system that provides affordable health care and allows citizens to choose their own doctors.

His opponent, Heidi Heitkamp, says the affordable care act has many good parts like the coverage to people with pre-existing conditions and to children up to age 26. But she says there are parts that need to be reformed.

"I don`t like the mandate. I think that the mandate needs to be adjusted and we need to look for an alternative and so it doesn`t change what I intend to do if I`m elected to the U.S. Senate."

She says if elected, she plans to bring the issue back up and try to get bipartisan support to make amendments to the law.

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