KS Governor Signs Health Care Freedom Act

June 2, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Kansas Governor Sam Brownback has signed HB 2182 which enacts several health care provisions including the Health Care Freedom Act.

The Associated Press reports that the Act says residents have the right to refuse to buy health insurance and instead pay for health care services directly, adding that they can’t be fined or forced to pay other penalties for refusing to buy health insurance. The federal mandate taking effect in 2014 includes tax penalties for most Americans if they don’t buy insurance.  

“Legislators are standing up for the liberty of Kansas citizens,” said State Senator Mary Pilcher-Cook, according to the AP.  

However, some legislators question whether the Kansas law will have any practical effect. They said the federal law, if upheld by the courts, would trump any state policy.  

Measures aimed at blocking the federal health insurance mandate have been approved in more than a dozen states, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures (see TN Passes Bill Rejecting Health Law Mandate). 

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