Florida Judge Deems Health Care Reform Unconstitutional

Florida became the second state to strike down health care reform. Judge Roger Vinson, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, ruled the Affordable Care Act unconstitutional on Monday. The ruling follows a similar case from December in which a federal judge in Virginia deemed the portions of the health care bill that require individuals to buy health insurance unconstitutional. However, the Florida ruling differed in that it voided the entire bill and not just the disputed provisions.

Opponents of the health care reform bill have argued that the government should not and does not have the power to force citizens to buy private insurance. Disputes also have arisen over the consequences of not buying health insurance. Can Congress impose a tax penalty on those who choose not to buy health insurance?

According to Judge Vinson, Congress does not have this power. In his 76-page ruling, Vinson said, “I must reluctantly conclude that Congress exceeded the bounds of its authority in passing the act with the individual mandate. That is not to say, of course, that Congress is without power to address the problems and inequities in our health care system. The health care market is more than one-sixth of the national economy, and without doubt Congress has the power to reform and regulate this market. That has not been disputed in this case. The principal dispute has been about how Congress chose to exercise that power here.”

House Republicans embraced the ruling. House Speaker John Boehner said, “Today’s decision affirms the view, held by most of the states and a majority of the American people, that the federal government should not be in the business of forcing you to buy health insurance and punishing you if you don’t.”

The ruling comes on the heels of a repeal of the Affordable Care Act in the House of Representatives, despite the certainty that the Democratic-controlled Senate would not follow suit.

The White House described the ruling as an “outlier” and “judicial overreaching.” Justice Department Spokeswoman Tracy Schmaler indicated that the department would appeal the ruling. She said in a statement, “There is clear and well-established legal precedent that Congress acted within its constitutional authority in passing this law and we are confident that we will ultimately prevail on appeal.”

The ruling, though significant in its own right, points towards an inevitable Supreme Court showdown on the ultimate constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act.

Michael Angelo Rumore can be reached at michaelangelorumore@gmail.com.