WASHINGTON, D.C. -

The announcement of the U.S. Supreme Court upholding essentially the bulk of the Affordable Care Act drew a wide-ranging response from both sides of the political aisle, as perhaps was expected.

And while many in the auto business chose not to publicly comment on the issue, the organizations representing dealers and auto workers, respectively, voiced their thoughts on the matter late last week.

The National Automobile Dealers Association, for instance, released a statement suggesting the law hamstrings business growth for dealerships and may often limit “their ability to offer quality health care plans to their employees.”

“Although today’s ruling by the Supreme Court appears to uphold the majority of the Affordable Care Act, it remains a flawed law. Keeping and retaining highly skilled and trained employees is a priority for all auto retailers,” NADA’s statement read.

“Dealers strive to provide their employees with the most affordable health care plans available that best fit their needs. Each year, it becomes increasingly challenging for dealers to find the most affordable health insurance plans with the best coverage,” the association added.

NADA continued: “Since the passage of ACA, health insurance costs have continued to rise, and compliance has become more complex. The resources that dealers must put toward meeting these new health care mandates prevent them from growing their businesses and, in many cases, hinder their ability to offer quality health care plans to their employees.

“While (Thursday’s) decision did not strike down most of the ACA, Congress should revisit this law to ensure that dealership employees are not forced out of employer-based health care plans,” the organization further noted.

Meanwhile, the United Auto Workers applauded the Court’s decision in a statement. UAW leadership suggested the ACA will cut “the burden of expensive, uncompensated care that is now borne by our members and their employees,” noting the act increases the number of people who are covered via subsidies and the individual mandate.

“The UAW strongly supports health care reform. It’s morally unacceptable to leave tens of millions of Americans with no insurance coverage, and it’s economically unsustainable to force working families and retirees to bear the burden of out-of-control costs,” stated UAW president Bob King

“Even UAW members with excellent health insurance coverage worry about their children, many of whom are struggling to find work or working in jobs with no benefits," King said. "By allowing parents to keep children on their policy until age 26, the Affordable Care Act has already benefited thousands of our members.”

Editor’s Note: Other industry organizations either declined to comment or did not respond to requests for comment by Auto Remarketing, as of press time.