The Affordable Care Act was on trial in Washington this week, and we can only wait to find out the verdict.

Opponents of the landmark health policy law they derisively call “Obamacare” were emboldened by the tough questioning it faced from Supreme Court Justices on Tuesday. They hope those questions raise the possibility that the high court will strike down the whole law, or at least its central structural element, a requirement that almost everyone buy health insurance.

If they get their wish, those elected officials should be prepared to answer some tough questions of their own, because even if the federal insurance market reforms passed two years ago go away, the underlying health care crisis the nation faces will not.

And while the individual mandate proves to be unpopular in polls, other elements of the law already are helping Maine people.

As of last June, 7,329 young adults were allowed to stay on their parents plan until the age of 26, one more year than the 25-year-old cutoff rate in existing Maine law.

About 12,000 seniors a year receive assistance buying prescription drugs when they reached the coverage gap known as the doughnut hole. Last year, 187,251 Medicare recipients received free preventative services with no deductible or copay, allowing more health problems to be identified in time to head off costly illnesses. And 226,000 Mainers with private health insurance also received no-charge preventative care.

The law requires every state to set up by 2014 an insurance exchange that gives individuals and small businesses a single location to comparison shop for insurance plans. Those who qualify would receive subsidies to buy coverage.

These programs are not unpopular, and elected officials who have railed against the individual mandate should be prepared to produce alternatives if the court guts or eliminates the Affordable Care Act.

When they pay their health insurance premiums, or when they visit a health care provider, most people don’t really care how the health care financing system is structured. They just want dependable, high-quality service for an affordable price.

Striking down the health care reform law in court might look like a political win in the short run, but opponents will have something to answer for as costs skyrocket and fewer people have coverage.

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