In a decision that Vegas odds makers probably would have bet against, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

In a decision that Vegas odds makers probably would have bet against - if they were allowed to make bets on court cases - the U.S. Supreme Court yesterday upheld the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, the ambitious health care overhaul that is the signature achievement of President Barack Obama’s first term.

A number of HVAC industry associations were against the bill, including the Air Conditioning Contractors of America. And many, including me, predicted it was dead once Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown improbably won the Senate seat held for decades by the late Ted Kennedy.

But the president was able to secure the minimum votes to pass the bill. Then, as the law made its inevitable way to the high court, many pundits were certain the conservative majority would strike it - and the individual insurance mandate at its heart - down.

Obviously, that didn’t happen. So now what does that mean for sheet metal and HVAC companies and their employees? Whether “Obamacare” will result in health care costs going down or just rising more slowly probably won’t be known for several years. And the law’s taxes on so-called “Cadillac” health care plans could have some affect on the benefits many Sheet Metal Workers union members enjoy.

I was not one of those people strongly opposed to the health care law, but I thought it was a very expensive way to expand coverage and I am doubtful it will do much to lower medical bills for most people.

So what’s your opinion of the court’s decision? How do you think it will impact the HVAC industry?