Written by Ken Borsuk, Editor Thursday, 05 July 2012 09:00

To the loud cheers of Democrats and lusty boos of Republicans, the partisan battle over health care reform came to a head last week when the United States Supreme Court upheld the key provisions of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

The ruling on the ACA, more commonly known by the term Obamacare since this was a major priority of President Barack Obama, was one of the most closely watched Supreme Court verdicts in the last 10 years. And while the court upheld the constitutionality of key parts of the law, including the mandate that people buy health insurance, the battle over the law could now be headed right back to the political arena. Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has said he would repeal the law on day one and other Republicans are following suit with their own calls for repeal.

Health care could again become an issue in the upcoming fall Congressional elections, two of which involve town residents.

Mr. Himes famously dedicated his vote in favor of the ACA to the memory of former Greenwich Democratic Town Committee Chairman David Roberson, who was killed in a car accident in 2010 just weeks before the vote on the bill was cast. Mr. Roberson had been without health insurance at the time of his death and Mr. Himes said on the floor of the House of Representatives that a check up could have potentially addressed the heart ailment that caused him to lose control of his car.

In an interview with the Post this week, Mr. Himes acknowledged that this was an emotional vote for him and that he was happy to see it withstand the Supreme Court challenge. He added, though, that emotion was a double edged sword because emotion had also led to the overheated rhetoric around the ACA and the outright lies that it would establish the infamous death panels. He said that the decision by the court was a good one, not for him, but for the millions of Americans like Mr. Roberson who wouldnt have had health insurance but will have it under the ACA.

Its a relief to me that health care reform will save hundreds of thousands of lives and improve services for millions of Americans, Mr. Himes told the Post. This isnt about whether Im relieved about my vote in favor of it but whether this is going to help Americans. [The Supreme Court decision] is a good thing for Americans with a pre-existing condition that will no longer be denied health coverage.

Despite the good news, Mr. Himes, who is facing a re-election campaign this November, said this is no time for complacency and urged people to be vigilant to fight against a potential repeal. Mr. Himes said based on his conversations with constituents health care is an issue, along with others like Iraq and European stability, that are far and away behind the American economy and jobs. He said he wasnt sure if Mr. Obsitnik would bring it up during the campaign.

Ive always been very level-headed about the health care reform, Mr. Himes said. It started us down a very long road toward creating a health care system that will provide affordable coverage to Americans. It is not a perfect bill and I have criticized it when necessary. If my opponent is like Mitt Romney will he say that we need to repeal and replace it without offering any kind of alternative? Mitt Romney has not offered any kind of new plan and I havent heard any other Republicans offering one up either. You dont get to criticize without being able to present an alternative.

Mr. Obsitniks campaign released a statement last Thursday urging the people to take action if they did want the law repealed.

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Health care ruling could impact fall races