August 12th, 2011
01:19 PM ET

Parts of health care law ruled unconstitutional

A federal appeals court has tossed out key provisions of the sweeping healthcare reform bill championed by President Obama, setting up a likely election-year showdown at the Supreme Court over the landmark legislation.

A divided 2-1 panel of the 11th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Atlanta on Friday found the law's "individual mandate" section, requiring nearly all Americans to purchase health insurance by 2014 or face financial penalties - was an improper exercise of federal authority.

"The individual mandate exceeds Congress's enumerated commerce power and is unconstitutional," wrote Chief Judge Joel Dubina. "This economic mandate represents a wholly novel and potentially unbounded assertion of congressional authority: the ability to compel Americans to purchase an expensive health insurance product they have elected not to buy, and to make them re-purchase that insurance product every month for their entire lives."

Significantly, the court concluded even though that key section to be unconstitutional, the entire law need not be set aside. In fact, the judges said law's expansion of the federal Medicaid program was constitutional, since states - which administer it - would not bear "the costs of the program's amplified enrollments."

This appeal resulted from in a massive lawsuit brought by Florida and 25 other states opposing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.

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Filed under: Health • Health Care • Health care reform
soundoff (302 Responses)
  1. the prophet

    What you saying

    August 14, 2011 at 2:16 pm | Report abuse |
    • Scottish Mama

      Let us meet in washington. Start a peaceful revolution on Labor Day Saturday. We will promote this on Cnn site and let it grow and meet everyone by the names they use here in the threads, in Washington.
      Banasy are you in?
      Philip are you in?
      Joey are you in?
      Prophet are you in?
      Texan are you in?
      Cnn bloggers go to Washington.

      August 14, 2011 at 4:40 pm | Report abuse |
  2. the1prophet1word

    Join the revolution and movement

    August 14, 2011 at 3:20 pm | Report abuse |
    • Scottish Mama

      Yes. can u travel to D.C.

      August 14, 2011 at 4:41 pm | Report abuse |
  3. the prophet

    I can travel anywhere with GOD trough treacherous roads, and the times when I looked back and couldn't see my foot steps I asked GOD why he had left me, he replied I didn't leave you I carried you when you could not go on anymore. If you followers carry a deep conviction and beleave in the power of GOD almighty, beleave in that change in your heart and, it
    will take you further then Washington. Strategy,
    logistics, communications, mobilization objective.

    August 14, 2011 at 5:14 pm | Report abuse |
  4. the prophet

    unlike our ancestors whom used primitive methods of conunications to convey specific messages in which cases took days even months for sn objective to be executed. We on the other hand have an advantage, our communication technology. But most people don't know how to use it to their advantages, mobilizing millions to walk to Washington is as easy as 123, facebock has a secret!!!

    August 14, 2011 at 5:31 pm | Report abuse |
    • Scottish Mama

      I do not have facebook, I guess I will never know the secret.

      August 14, 2011 at 11:21 pm | Report abuse |
  5. Sub Zero

    @Prophet: Let's learn to type coherently shall we? The revolution will be very unorganized.

    August 14, 2011 at 10:35 pm | Report abuse |
  6. Scottish Mama

    I just want to say I came back today and cnn must have banned me from the site for awhile.

    August 14, 2011 at 11:19 pm | Report abuse |
  7. the prophet

    Yeha cnn and big brother did it to my posts too...I guess @sub Zero yes it is very unorganized this revolution only 2 followers now…but here in the US we have the right to assemble and to have even more freedom in the organizing of a cue can be done under the church bylaws which gives the right to practice too. The problem is that most Americans procrastinate and sit on their hasss doing nothing but complain all day long...and don’t even go to church instead watch TV.

    August 15, 2011 at 7:21 am | Report abuse |
  8. the prophet

    For those readers who are wandering how the name prophet came about? Since I was a young boy i have had the ability to see shadow of things. Remember if it did not happen yet you may not understand the msg

    August 15, 2011 at 8:18 am | Report abuse |
  9. Health Care

    Great information provided. I appreciate your work.
    http://bit.ly/rhI0tT

    December 2, 2011 at 3:43 am | Report abuse |
  10. Health care legislation

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    February 26, 2012 at 1:06 am | Report abuse |
  11. obat rematik

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    August 21, 2012 at 4:02 pm | Report abuse |
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