By Caitlin Walsh, Columnist

The great healthcare debate is not over, even though President Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) on March 23, 2010.

During the recent Congressional elections, several new Republican members were voted into the House with the promise of at least overhauling if not completely repealing the new law. The Senate narrowly defeated that effort earlier this month with 50 Democrats and one Independent voting against the House’s proposal while all 47 Republicans voted for it.

At the same time, the Healthcare Act has been challenged in four courts. Two federal judges have ruled that it is constitutional, while one Virginia judge voided the component requiring everyone obtain insurance. The fourth most recent judge ruled from Florida that the same component was too integral to the entire law, making it invalid.

The judge reasoned that this requirement forces people to buy something, which goes against his interpretation of what a law can and cannot do. With PPACA batting only .500 in the courts, rumors abound that it will eventually end up before the Supreme Court. If that happens, nine appointed officials will decide once and for all whether this law is constitutional or not. It wouldn’t be the first time the Supreme Court legislates from their judicial bench.

This issue is one of the most polarizing on Capitol Hill. The Republicans have banded together to bring this law back to Congress so that it can be reworked once again. Their fiery discourse lacks any human compassion.

Both the GOP and the Tea Party bring up the cost of PPACA whenever they talk about reducing our national debt and cutting spending. They are so consumed with worrying about our nation’s bottom line. They forget how many people would actually benefit from this law.

If you need an example, look no further than in the mirror or down the dorm hall. As full time college students, most of us are covered by our parents insurance. Under the old system, we lost that coverage as soon as we turned 23 or walked across the stage at graduation, whichever came first. Most of us would not get coverage again until the benefits of our first full time job kick in.

Employment at graduation isn’t guaranteed and many of us would spend a long time looking for a job, any job, uninsured. This law allows for dependents to stay on our parents insurance until we turn 26 and removes the requirements that we needed to fulfill under the old system, such as attending school. It will be great to graduate in May and not have to worry about insurance right away.