President Obama's healthcare reforms, dubbed Obamacare, have been rescued by the US Supreme Court after a series of legal challenges by Republican opponents.
In a 6-3 decision, the court said that the Affordable Care Act was right to authorise federal tax credits supporting healthcare across the country, rather than requiring each state to act on its own.
Chief Justice John Roberts wrote in his majority opinion: "Congress passed the Affordable Care Act to improve health insurance markets, not to destroy them. If at all possible, we must interpret the Act in a way that is consistent with the former, and avoids the latter."
Republican politicians were quick to condemn the ruling. Florida's Senator Marco Rubio told CNN: "I disagree with the Court's ruling and believe they have once again erred in trying to correct the mistakes made by President Obama and Congress in forcing Obamacare on the American people. I remain committed to repealing this bad law and replacing it with my consumer-centred plan that puts patients and families back in control of their health care decisions."
Another presidential candidate, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, said: "This decision is not the end of the fight against Obamacare. As President of the United States, I would make fixing our broken health care system one of my top priorities."
The decision is certain to anger religious conservatives, who have campaigned against the Act because of its association with contraception and abortion. The reforms have seen an additional 17 million Americans covered by insurance and the Act is likely to be seen as the defining achievement of President Obama.
