Ohio Joins Healthcare Reform Lawsuit. 25 States in the Fray

Added by Elivia DeVries on January 13, 2011

Ohio’s Attorney General, Mike DeWine, announced that the state was joining the multistate lawsuit that had been filed over the Federal health care reform plan passed by the Obama administration.

The reform plan has been criticized by the Attorney General for violating the rights of the citizens of Ohio.

The Attorney General spoke of supporting and defending the checks and balances in built in the constitution. He accused the Federal government of huge overreach. Ohio is the latest state to join the challenge that was initiated by Florida.

Virginia is contesting the matter in a separate lawsuit and Oklahoma has announced its intention to do the same. In all, half the states in the country are contesting the reform plan.

The primary issue raised in the lawsuit focus on mandatory health insurance combined with penalty for noncompliance. The complainants point out that the Federal government does not have the authority to insist that its citizens must purchase health insurance or any other good or service.

A Federal judge in Virginia interpreted the Constitution’s provisions and ruled in favor of the citizens. This decision compelled the U.S. government to appeal against the decision. The lawsuit is expected to be finally decided by the Supreme Court.