The moment President Obama, his administration, Democrats, and Republicans have been waiting finally happened. Today, the President was given a major victory as the Supreme Court upheld his controversial health care law with a 5 to 4 ruling.

It was Chief Justice John Roberts who was the deciding vote that has once again put Obama in the history books, making him the first president to effectively pass health care reform.

According to the Associated Press:

The Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of President Barack Obama’s health care law, including the most disputed part: the mandate that virtually all Americans have health insurance or pay a fine. The mandate was upheld under the federal government’s power to levy taxes.

The ruling put some limits on the law’s plan to expand the Medicaid insurance program for the poor, a joint effort of the federal government and states. It says the U.S. government cannot threaten to withhold a state’s entire Medicaid allotment if it doesn’t participate in the expansion.

Chief Justice John Roberts sided with the court’s four liberal justices – Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Elena Kagan and Sonia Sotomayor – to form the 5-4 majority.

The decision affects nearly every American and marks a major milepost in a century of efforts to make health care available to all.

Though the decision is a big win for the President, there are still obstacles ahead, especially if Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney is elected into office. He has repeatedly promised to repeal the bill, which would provide health insurance coverage to nearly 30 million people in the United States. The law is supposed to go into full effect beginning in 2014.

The President is scheduled to comment on the Court’s decision later today.