Setting the scene: The Supreme Court's health law ruling

With a ruling expected soon after the justices take the bench at 10 a.m., speculation focuses not only on what its various elements will be, but how the various players will spin them. 

The New York Times: Awaiting Ruling On Fairly Simple Questions About A Complex Health Law
The Supreme Court is expected to announce on Thursday morning its decision on the health care overhaul that President Obama signed into law in 2010 -; an act of Congress thousands of pages long, containing hundreds of changes costing hundreds of billions of dollars and affecting nearly every American from cradle to grave (Cushman, 6/27).

Reuters: Supreme Court To Deliver Obama Healthcare Law Ruling
The Supreme Court is set to deliver on Thursday its ruling on President Barack Obama's 2010 healthcare overhaul, his signature domestic policy achievement, in a historic case that could hand him a huge triumph or a stinging rebuke just over four months before he seeks re-election. The nine justices are scheduled to take the bench at 10 a.m. (1400 GMT) on the last day of the high court's term to read their final opinions, including their decision in the epic legal battle over the healthcare law (Vicini, 6/28).

The Wall Street Journal: Supreme Court To Decide On Health Law
On the final day of its 2011-12 term, the high court will deliver its opinion on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, which Mr. Obama signed on March 23, 2010. The first constitutional challenge to the law was filed that same day. The central question before the court was whether Congress could require most Americans to carry health insurance or pay a penalty. The court could uphold the entire law, nullify part of it or strike it down completely. All of Washington was prepared to react within minutes of the ruling, which was expected to come shortly after 10 a.m. EDT. Republicans said they would push to repeal any parts of the law that survived the court's review (Kendall/Radnofsky/Bravin, 6/28).

The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire: A 10 A.M. Start, Then Some Tense Waiting
Don't expect the justices to announce the health-care ruling as soon as they take the bench at 10 a.m. The court has three cases left to decide and it will very likely announce the other two decisions first (Kendall, 6/27).

NewsHour: Primer: Supreme Court's Health Reform Ruling Expected Thursday
The "best-kept secret in Washington" is about to go public. Three months after the Supreme Court's hearings on the health care reform law, the justices are expected to announce their decision a few minutes after 10 a.m. Thursday. The pre-ruling radio silence from the Court has only fueled speculation about whether the justices will strike down the Affordable Care Act or leave part -- or all -- of it standing. But regardless of the outcome, most agree on one thing: This decision is likely to shape the course of American health care for years to come (Kane, 6/27).

McClatchy Newspapers: Nation Awaits Supreme Court Ruling On Health Care Law
Busy Thursday morning? If you're a doctor, nurse, patient, lawyer, politician, employer, employee, student, homemaker, hospital administrator, insurer or anyone who's ever been sick, or ever will be, the likely answer is yes. You'll be scanning the Web or flipping TV channels, waiting for nine Supreme Court justices to announce their views on the nation's health care reform law. We'll likely know what the judges have decided in the hour after 10 a.m. EDT. The roar from the reaction will last just a bit longer. Decades, probably (Helling, 6/27).

Politico: Supreme Court Health Care Ruling: Win-Lose Scenarios
Predicting the outcome is a guessing game and a perilous one. But every Washington player worth his or her salt has a game plan for all possible scenarios. Here's a pregame look at the best- and worst-case results for key participants in the health-care reform saga -; and how they'll try to spin the decision to the hilt (Gerstein, 6/28).

The Associated Press: Health Care Countdown: Who Wins, Loses - Pays?
It seems as if the entire nation is holding its breath for the Supreme Court's health care ruling -; the presidential candidates, governors of virtually every state, insurers with billions at stake, companies large and small and countless millions of Americans concerned about their own medical care and how they'll pay for it. Still, Thursday's expected ruling almost certainly will not be the last word on the nation's tangled efforts to address health care woes (Sherman and Alonso-Zaldivar, 6/28).

Boston Globe: Health Care Ruling May Redefine Reaches Of Federal Power
Thursday's highly anticipated Supreme Court ruling on President Obama's signature domestic achievement, a vast expansion of health coverage, will probably energize the 2012 presidential race and may reroute the American health care economy. But perhaps even more far reaching is the court's opportunity to redefine the scope of federal power. At the heart of the complex case: Does Congress have the power, under the Constitution's interstate commerce clause, to require that most individuals obtain insurance coverage or pay a penalty? (Jan, 6/28).

Medpage Today: Chaos Predicted If ACA Ruling Split
Utter confusion could result if the Supreme Court invalidates the Affordable Care Act's (ACA) individual mandate while upholding other parts of the law, a physician expert predicted ahead of Thursday's expected decision. And a split decision is, indeed, likely, said Randy Wexler MD, MPH, of Ohio State University in Columbus. That will create chaos, he said, which is something other health care experts have also predicted (Walker, 6/27).

USA Today: Expect Swift Opinions In Supreme Court Health Care Ruling
Tea Party and union members, liberals and conservatives, Republicans and Democrats have two things in common as the Supreme Court prepares to announce its verdict on President Obama's health care law Thursday. They have no clue what the court will decide. And they will have plenty to say outside the court immediately after -; in high praise or denunciation (Wolf, 6/27).

National Journal: Regardless Of Ruling, Gripes Are Guaranteed
Today is the day when the Supreme Court will make a lot of people unhappy. There's simply no ruling on the Affordable Care Act that will satisfy a majority of Americans. Polls show that people dislike the law. But they dislike the status quo. They dislike a partial solution. They want health care reform, but not this health care reform. The interest groups, too, are divided in their allegiances. Some businesses would benefit from the erasure of the law. Many in the health industry, who have reorganized their business strategies, would lose out. The health plans, which negotiated a complex deal to take cuts in exchange for new customers, stand to lose quite a lot if the unpopular individual mandate comes down (Sanger-Katz, 6/28).

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Ruling On Affordable Care Act Expected To Have Major Effects
No court decision in the past decade has been more anticipated than the ruling coming Thursday from the Supreme Court on the federal health care reform law. And hundreds if not thousands of politicians and special-interest groups are waiting to give their takes on the outcome. "It is a critical moment for the country in determining the path we will take from here in addressing our current problems in the health care system," said Thomas Oliver, a professor at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health (Boulton, 6/27).