Libby Casey, APRN – Washington DC
Alaska’s lone Congressional member who supports the 2010 federal Health Care Act says it’s the law, and has to be followed. Democratic Senator Mark Begich says until challenges to it make their way to the Supreme Court, states like Alaska have to follow it.
Monday, a judge in Florida ruled that the law is “unconstitutional” because of its requirement that all Americans must have health insurance. Alaska is one of 26 states signed on to the suit, and yesterday Governor Sean Parnell said he hopes the federal government will voluntarily suspend implementing the bill until the case reaches the Supreme Court. The White House came out fighting however, and said it expects the law to be upheld and enactment to proceed. So far two judges have upheld the law, and two have found at least part of it unconstitutional.
Senator Begich says it’s not up to the states at this moment to ignore it.
The Senate is expected to vote Wednesday on repealing the law. All 47 Republicans are expected to vote for it, including Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski.
The House already passed a bill last month that would repeal the health care law, which Congressman Don Young voted for. They called it “Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act.”
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