On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court announced it will hear oral arguments on the constitutionality of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA). In a decision expected by most legal experts, the Supreme Court Justices agreed to hear the case that has grabbed headlines for over a year. 

In particular, the Supreme Court will review the legal arguments stemming from an 11th Circuit Appellate Decision in August (which BenefitMall has reported on, click here for details). This case has drawn a fair amount attention because the legal complaint was spearheaded by 26 state attorneys general and the National Federation of Independent Business, which oppose PPACA's individual mandate.    

In addition to hearing the case, another noteworthy announcement is the amount of time that the Court will set aside to hear oral arguments in this case. A full 5½ hours of time has been allotted so the Court can hear several key legal issues that need to be resolved. Although the length of time may not appear to be significant from a layperson's perspective, it is in fact unprecedented during the past 100 years with maybe one exception.