Appeals Court Panel Strikes Down Health Law Mandate

A federal appeals court panel ruled Friday against the part of President Obama’s new health care law that required most Americans to purchase health insurance or suffer some penalty. The three-judge panel of the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals sided with 26 states that had sued to block the law. The White House condemned the ruling. –ARK

The New York Times:

A federal appeals court panel on Friday struck down the requirement in President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul package that virtually all Americans must carry health insurance or face penalties.

The divided three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals struck down the so-called individual mandate, which is considered the centerpiece of the law, siding with 26 states that had sued to block the law. But the panel didn’t go as far as a lower court that had invalidated the entire overhaul as unconstitutional.

Government attorneys can — and likely will — ask the full 11th Circuit to review the panel’s ruling. They also can appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, which many legal observers expect to have the final say on the issue.

Read more