State AGs Back HCR in Appellate Court Brief

February 7, 2011 (PLANSPONSOR.com) – Nine state attorneys general have filed a friend of the court brief backing the controversial health statute.

According to a joint statement issued by the attorneys general, the legal papers were filed in the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which is considering one of a series of rulings from around the country in suits by a variety of public officials and private citizens.

“Although a judge in Florida recently ruled that one provision of the federal health care law is unconstitutional (see Florida HCR Challengers Win on Commerce Clause Argument), we believe the judge’s ruling is incorrect and we applaud the decision by the U.S. Department of Justice to appeal it,” the attorneys general said in the statement. “We are confident that the constitutionality of the entire law will be upheld on appeal and ultimately by the United States Supreme Court. In the meantime, the numerous health care reforms provided in the federal health reform law will continue to be implemented to the benefit of all Americans.”

The attorneys general continued: “The Affordable Care Act is making a difference in the lives of millions of people in our states and it is poised to help even more as it continues to be implemented. Whether people agree about all aspects of health care reform, we should be able to agree that for a lot of people, life has gotten better since the law was enacted and millions more will continue to benefit from the Affordable Care Act as it is fully implemented.”

The coalition filing the pro-health reform legal brief includes attorney generals from California, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Maryland, New York, Oregon and Vermont. The legal brief is here.

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