Major victory for his legacy ... President Barack Obama (right),accompanied by Vice-President Joe Biden,talks about the US Supreme Court's decision to protect the Affordable Care Act.Credit:AP
Obamacare,like social security was now woven into the fabric of the nation. More than 16 million more people had access to health insurance as a result of the law,and the number of uninsured had dropped by one third even as healthcare costs had seen their lowest rate of inflation in a generation.
Whatever other achievements or failures may in future be attributed to him,this will make Obama a significant president at least to his own party,which has been trying to extend health coverage to more Americans since the Truman administration after World War II.
The decision came less than 24 hours after the Senate finally granted the president trade promotion authority,clearing the way for the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations to be completed.