The U.S. Supreme Court will later this morning unveil its long-awaited opinion on the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010. At the legislation's core is a requirement that individuals buy health insurance. Also in the mix are provisions obligating insurers to spend 80 percent of premiums on patient care and a push to lower Medicare spending levels.

The Nashville Post team will be on call all day covering the decision and its implications for Middle Tennessee's vital health care sector. But we're not out to add to the din that will rise shortly after 9 a.m. Central; instead, we will be filtering the noise to give you perspectives — local, regional and national — that will help you weigh your next steps. We'll also be talking with a number of business owners about how their plans may or may not change as a result of the Supreme Court's ruling. You'll be able to find those pieces later at this link.

For now, here are some stories we've collected this week that help set the stage for the big day.

 
• Reuters pulled together a thorough rundown of the possible decisions and their likely effects on the stakeholders in this important debate.

• As of Tuesday, prediction market Intrade said there was a 77 percent chance the judges would strike down the individual mandate. USA Today had that piece.

• The traders on CNBC's Fast Money broke down the main scenarios' likely effect on the stocks of certain industry groups. For Middle Tennessee's high-profile operators, having the law stay in place as it now stands would be the best scenario.

• Marketplace's Jeff Horwich talks to a foundation executive about the massive headaches that would arise if the law is struck down and progress on initiatives such as health information exchanges has to be unwound.