Washington (CNN) -- The Supreme Court concluded a marathon public debate on health care Wednesday with justices signaling an ideological divide that could topple some or all of the the sweeping reform bill championed by President Barack Obama.
On the third day of oral arguments on legal challenges to the 2010 Affordable Care Act, the justices tackled the question of what would happen if they ruled that the heart of the law, the individual mandate that is its key funding mechanism, was unconstitutional.
The six hours of hearings over three days provided an extended public view of the high court in action on one of the most controversial issues of the day, touching on legal concepts involving federal and state powers, individual rights and legislative intent.
At stake is the survival of the signature legislation of Obama's presidency as he seeks re-election in November: the health care reform law that requires most Americans to have health coverage as part of a systemic overhaul intended to lower costs.
At issue Wednesday morning was whether all the law's 450 or so provisions would have to be scrapped if the individual mandate were found unconstitutional.
A separate session Wednesday afternoon looked at whether states would be "coerced" by the federal government to expand their share of Medicaid costs and administration by the risk of losing federal funding if they refuse.
To CNN senior legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin, the questioning by justices Wednesday signaled they are ready to invalidate the individual mandate, a step he said could put the entire law in jeopardy.
"I think the individual mandate is gone, based on the questioning," Toobin said after the morning session. "It sure looks like there are at least five votes to get rid of ... the individual mandate."
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