States Sue Over Overhaul That Will Bust State Budgets (Update2)

March 23 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama faces a fight over the health-care overhaul from states that sued today because the legislation’s expansion of Medicaid imposes a fiscal strain on their cash-strapped budgets.
Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania are among 14 states that filed suit after the president signed the bill over the constitutionality of the burden imposed by the legislation. The health-care overhaul will make as many as 15 million more Americans eligible for Medicaid nationwide starting in 2014 and will cost the states billions to administer.
States faced with unprecedented declines in tax collections are cutting benefits and payments to hospitals and doctors in Medicaid, the health program for the poor paid jointly by state and U.S. governments. The costs to hire staff and plan for the average 25 percent increase in Medicaid rolls may swamp budgets, said Toby Douglas, who manages the Medicaid program for California, which hasn’t joined the lawsuits.

States Sue Over Overhaul That Will Bust State Budgets (Update2) - Bloomberg.com

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Originally Posted by Jesus Jones

March 23 (Bloomberg) -- President Barack Obama faces a fight over the health-care overhaul from states that sued today because the legislation’s expansion of Medicaid imposes a fiscal strain on their cash-strapped budgets.
Florida, Texas and Pennsylvania are among 14 states that filed suit after the president signed the bill over the constitutionality of the burden imposed by the legislation. The health-care overhaul will make as many as 15 million more Americans eligible for Medicaid nationwide starting in 2014 and will cost the states billions to administer.
States faced with unprecedented declines in tax collections are cutting benefits and payments to hospitals and doctors in Medicaid, the health program for the poor paid jointly by state and U.S. governments. The costs to hire staff and plan for the average 25 percent increase in Medicaid rolls may swamp budgets, said Toby Douglas, who manages the Medicaid program for California, which hasn’t joined the lawsuits.

States Sue Over Overhaul That Will Bust State Budgets (Update2) - Bloomberg.com

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I had expected lawsuits from the begening and glad to see an effort is being made to stop this, to imposing and way to costly. I agree there needs to be improvement to U.S. health care but forcing people to buy into this system seems to be stretching the authority of the govt.. I am however sorry to say most of the commentary I see thinks the courts will side with govt. health care.

So, the GOP strategy is to pray for some Judicial Activism to ride to the rescue?

The GOP did everything they could do to stop the Obama plan except constructively suggest an alternative. I don't believe for a minute that either party gives a rats behind about low and middle class Americans, and the health insurers and drug companies seemed to be winners either way.
It was one thing to say that health care was a privilege for those who were employed when there was employment available, but now there are many Americans able and willing to work who cannot find jobs, they still deserve health care.

Also I was an American lawyer and I doubt if the lawsuits will have any effect. The Constitution gives Congress and the Federal Government the sole authority to regulate interstate commerce, which includes health insurance. No Court is likely to overturn these laws. They may be hoping that the 5 conservative morons on the Supreme Court will find a way to do it, and that is possible but unlikely. Obviously this will go to the Supreme Court which has a conservative tilt to it, so there is a possibility. It will take many years to get rid of the right wing morons Bush put on the Supreme Court.