Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell: “Today’s Supreme Court ruling is extremely disappointing for Virginia and for America. The PPACA will create a costly and cumbersome system that will impair our country’s ability to recover from these challenging economic times, infringes on our citizen’s liberties, will harm small businesses, and will impose dramatic unfunded mandates on Virginia and all states. Simply put, this is a blow to freedom. America needs market-based solutions that give patients more choice, not less.

“Virginia will evaluate the steps necessary to comply with the law. While we have awaited this decision, planners have been working to identify necessary resources and issues to be addressed to ensure Virginia implements this flawed law in the most effective and least costly and burdensome way possible. In coming months, Virginia’s healthcare leaders will work to develop the best possible system to meet the healthcare needs of our citizens. It remains my hope that we will elect a new President and Senate so that the existing law will be repealed and states will be given the freedom they need to implement healthcare solutions that work best for their citizens. We will evaluate the opinion in detail in the days ahead and determine what policies are proper for the people of Virginia.”

Former Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine: “While there is more work to do, it is worth noting what has already been accomplished under the Affordable Care Act. Nearly 63,000 more young people in Virginia have health coverage, more than 800,000 Virginia seniors have received free preventive care, millions of small businesses are now eligible for tax credits, and twenty million American women have access to cancer screenings and contraception without co-pays. And we’ve put an end to the egregious abuses by insurance companies that denied coverage to children with preexisting conditions, charged women higher premiums for the same coverage, and dropped folks when they got sick.

“My opponent regularly calls for a full repeal of this law, despite the positive results it’s already delivering for Virginia. In the decade encompassing George Allen’s six years as a U.S. Senator, the average insurance premium for families more than doubled and over 12 million more Americans were uninsured. Clearly, inaction was not a solution, and neither are continued calls for repeal. Instead we must work together to strengthen this existing program and improve cost controls.”

Councilmember David Catania (I-At Large): I am pleased that the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act. While the ruling will require in depth study over the coming weeks and months, the Court’s decision will allow the District to continue its remarkable progress to ensuring access to high quality care for its residents.

D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton: “The decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act is one of only about a half-dozen memorable Supreme Court cases in the history of this country. I have believed since the case was argued that Chief Justice John Roberts would be the swing vote, not Justice Anthony Kennedy, because Kennedy tipped his hand during oral arguments. In abandoning his conservative colleagues on the bench, the Chief Justice acted judiciously, not politically, exercising the presumption that a law passed by Congress is constitutional. I applaud the administration and Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr. for their understanding that the case for the individual mandate not only required briefing and arguing the Commerce Clause, but also the virtually unlimited taxing power of Congress, the sleeper tool in the case. As the House and Senate worked on the Affordable Care Act, members referred to paying a ‘penalty’ for not purchasing health insurance because Republicans have made ‘tax’ a dirty word in Congress. The court today ignored the talking points on both sides and looked to the law and to the reality of the virtually unlimited taxing power of Congress that has long been used to encourage behavior, whether it is raising taxes on cigarettes to discourage smoking, or taxing individuals who choose not to obtain health insurance.”

Mayor Vince Gray: “We are delighted that the Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act. While the District already leads the nation in access to care, we will continue moving forward to ensure that every District resident has access to quality, affordable health care.”