Constitutional challenges have been levied by more than a dozen states against the new healthcare reform law that mandates individuals purchase health coverage.
One of the challenges is being made by Virginia, which has already enacted a law exempting its citizens from the federal mandate to purchase insurance.
Another is being spearheaded by Florida with the support of 12 other states (South Carolina, Nebraska, Texas, Utah, Louisiana, Alabama, Colorado, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Washington, Idaho, and South Dakota).
Both lawsuits claim the newly signed reform bill’s requirement that individuals purchase health insurance is unconstitutional.
The mandate, which won’t take effect until 2014, is central to the bill’s main goal of providing health insurance to nearly 32 million more Americans — and Democratic leaders and those in the White House don’t appear to be worried that it’ll get shot down.
“We’ll win these lawsuits,” press secretary Robert Gibbs said he was advised by administration attorneys.
Both lawsuits are in federal district courts, and many analysts believe they’ll end up before the Supreme Court.
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