US – The US Supreme Court has rejected a bid by Republican-led states to overturn Obamacare, safeguarding the health insurance of millions at a time when the COVID-19 is still a threat in much of America.

The 7-2 ruling decision by the supreme court upheld the Affordable Care Act with Texas and 17 other states not having a stand in the case.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is the comprehensive healthcare reform signed into law by President Barack Obama in March 2010 and is known as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act or just the Obamacare.

President Joseph Biden termed this ruling as big win the US with millions of citizens still relying on the ACA for healthcare insurance coverage.

According to the White House, 31 million Americans currently receive their health care through Obamacare, which Republicans have unsuccessfully attempted to have thrown out in Congress and in the courts on numerous previous occasions.

“Thanks to the tireless advocacy of Americans across the country and the work of Democrats in Congress, the Affordable Care Act endures,” said Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic speaker of the House of Representatives.

Though attorneys for the Trump Justice Department and Texas-led states had argued that the entire ACA is unconstitutional because of legal questions over consumer penalties for people who do not obtain insurance, the court still upheld it.

Four of the conservative justices on the court including two appointed by Trump and Chief Justice John Roberts joined their three liberal colleagues in voting to uphold the ACA.

Obamacare has survived two previous Supreme Court challenges both in 2012 and 2015 and has grown in popularity among Americans over the years after a rocky start.

Mired by criticism, the ACA act recently received a two-year expansion COVID-19 relief bill under the American Rescue plan with the US government pumping US$1.9 trillion into the relief bill and an extra US$20 billion expected for insurance companies.

With this relief in place, taxpayers are expected to shell out more than US$8,500 for every American who gets a subsidized health plan through insurance marketplaces created by the ACA.