Obama Admin. Appeals Health Care Decision to Atlanta Federal Court
A federal appeals court in Atlanta was asked to rule in favor of the health care reform by the Obama administration. The appeal is the administration’s attempt to acquire more judges in favor of reform, which had been struck down in other courts.
White House Files for Appeal
The Justice Department filed a brief with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit on Sunday regarding a provision in the law that requires most Americans to purchase health insurance to avoid severe financial penalties.
The idea is to acquire favor from a number of lower courts like the one in Atlanta to garner support for the law. This way, when the administration has to fight in the Supreme Court to keep the provision alive, it will have rulings from a number of judges that already back the law up.
The administration won’t hear further news on this appeal until a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit hears oral arguments in June.
Judge Has Already Ruled Law Unconstitutional
A federal judge in Florida, joined by 26 states, ruled on January 31 that the provision in the law was unconstitutional. Similar appeals were filed by other states and private groups, including an appeal in Richmond, Va. that will hear a challenge in May.
Some say that while President Barack Obama has sought to avoid the issue reaching the Supreme Court anytime soon, it is almost certain to reach this level by the end of the year.
Also, in January the House of Representatives passed a procedural vote to stop reform that would allow lawmakers to consider repealing the law. However, some think the vote would not find the same level of success in the Senate.
The health care reform tug-of-war is likely to continue until it is set to take effect in 2014. With so much up in the air, it’s hard to say what will become of health care reform and health coverage when the smoke clears.
Similar Posts:
- Health Care Reform Law Arguments Get First Hearing in Appellate Court
- 21 States Support Missouri Health Care Reform Challenge
- Lawsuit Challenging Health Care Law Approved to Advance
- House Bans State Access to Health Exchange Grant Money
- Fight for Health Care Reform to Continue Into 2012
