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The first question before the Supreme Court on Wednesday, the last of three days of oral argument about the constitutionality of President Barack Obama’s health care law, was whether the individual mandate—the requirement that certain uncovered Americans purchase health insurance or pay a fine—was the “heart” of Obamacare. In other words, if that beating heart is ripped out by a majority of the nine black-robed justices, should the Affordable Care Act be allowed to stumble along or be put down with double-barrel shot to the head?
