Health Law Ruling Draws Different State Reactions

State officials are sorting a legal decision issued Monday by a federal court judge in Florida overturning the health law. Their challenge is to determine how and whether to proceed with their implementation responsibilities. Some, like Florida's governor, appear to favor taking steps to stall its progress.

The Washington Post: State Officials Divided On Meaning Of Judge's Health Care Ruling
A day after a federal judge struck down the government's plan to overhaul the health care system, Wisconsin Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen issued a stern statement: "This means that, for Wisconsin, the federal health care law is dead," and that his state "was relieved of any obligations or duties" to carry out the statute (Goldstein and Aizenman, 2/1).

The New York Times: States Diverge On How To Deal With Health Care Ruling
States took broadly divergent approaches on Tuesday to a federal judge's ruling that invalidated the Obama health care law, while Congressional Republicans used the decision to build momentum for a vote on repealing the act (Sack, Herszenhorn and Pear, 2/1).

CQ HealthBeat: States Mull Implementation Options Following Ruling On Health Care Law
States were scrambling Tuesday to figure out how and if to implement the health care law after a federal judge in a multi-state legal challenge in Florida ruled the entire measure is unconstitutional (Norman, 2/1).

Reuters: Florida Governor May Stall Obama Healthcare Law
Florida's Republican Governor Rick Scott signaled on Tuesday that President Barack Obama's landmark health care overhaul may not be implemented in the state as a legal battle over the law appears headed to the Supreme Court. Scott, a former health care executive, spoke a day after a federal judge in Florida struck down health care overhaul as unconstitutional and sided with plaintiff governors and attorneys general from 26 states, almost all of them Republicans, in declaring it void (Peltier, 2/1).

Bloomberg (TV): Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott Interview
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott talks about yesterday's ruling by a Florida judge that last year's health care overhaul overstepped limits on congressional power by compelling people to buy insurance. Florida sued on behalf of 13 states on March 23, the day Obama signed the overhaul into law. Twenty-five states, including Texas, had joined Florida's suit by yesterday's decision (2/1).