Governor Urges Expedited Process In Health Care Suit
By: Stephen Crews
Updated: February 10, 2011
Governor Robert Bentley joined 27 other Republican governors Wednesday to send a letter to President Barack Obama requesting him to direct the United States Department of Justice to support an expedited appellate process for the pending healthcare lawsuits to reach the United States Supreme Court as soon as possible.
Federal judges in Virginia and Florida in recent weeks have ruled parts of the law unconstitutional.
"It is important for businesses and health care providers in Alabama to know whether all or part of this law will be upheld in order for them to know their legal responsibilities," said Governor Bentley. "I join my other Republican colleagues and call on the President to take swift action and allow this process to reach the Supreme Court as quickly as possible."
President Barack Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act in March of 2010. By law, it will be fully implemented by 2014.
In the letter to the President, the governors asked only for a final determination from the Supreme Court and not a review position. A resolution will help prevent states and the private sector from undertaking potentially unnecessary measures and expenses.
