Obama's health law legacy still not settled; Romney faces health policy pressure

An Associated Press analysis points out that if Obama loses in November, he risks losing the law and his legacy. But Romney is also facing pressure.

The Associated Press: Re-Election Drives Obama's Legacy
Presidents live in a world of wins and losses quickly forgotten. Rarely are they presented with the kind of defining moment that President Barack Obama experienced when the Supreme Court upheld his health care law. It's one that will transcend his presidency, change America's social safety net and shape how he is likely to be remembered. Then there's the catch. If Obama does not win a second term in November, he risks losing both the law and the core of his legacy (Feller, 7/2).

The Fiscal Times:  Romney Under Pressure To Reveal His Health Plan
In the wake of the Supreme Court ruling Obamacare constitutional, Republican leaders immediately repeated their vows to "repeal and replace" the law. But replace it with what?  Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, has so far remained mum on what major alternatives, if any, he might offer before the election. It goes without saying that pointing with pride to the Bay State's "Romneycare" is not a viable option, since its exchanges, subsidies, mandates and tax penalties served as the model for the federal bill he wants to repeal (Goozner, 6/2).

The Associated Press: For Mitt Romney, There's No Escaping Health Care
So much for Mitt Romney escaping health care. Reminders of the Republican presidential candidate's signature achievement as Massachusetts governor -; a sweeping state health care overhaul -; now are everywhere. And Democrats and liberals -; from Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg to President Barack Obama to party faithful in Congress -; are making sure everyone knows that Romney's requirement that all people have health insurance was the basis of the federal mandate that the Supreme Court just upheld as a tax (Hunt and Peoples, 6/29).

In related news -

Reuters: Support For Obama Healthcare Law Rises After Ruling
Voter support for President Barack Obama's healthcare overhaul has increased following the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling upholding it, although majorities still oppose it, a Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Sunday showed. Among all registered voters, support for the law rose to 48 percent in the online survey conducted after Thursday's ruling, up from 43 percent before the court decision. Opposition slipped to 52 percent from 57 percent (Zengerle, 7/1).