As of this writing, the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals just struck down what is known as the individual mandate portion of the Affordable Care Act.  This ruling stands in direct opposition to the finding of the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, who upheld the law earlier this summer.

Besides reminding us that the national debate about healthcare is not over, just on sabbatical to allow us time to argue about the federal debt for a bit, there are a couple of interesting thoughts for me related to this ruling.

• People outside the industry may think this is just about one part of the Affordable Care Act and wonder why all the fuss.  The truth is if you take the individual mandate out, the entire ObamaCare plan falls apart.  Everything is riding on this one.
• After years of debating healthcare policy alternatives and the Democrats finally pushing their plan across this line, this entire discussion will come down to five people who wear black bath robes to work.