Healthcare Reform Gone Wild! What’s next?

Share this Article

Well, it’s happened.  My blog back on January 12th, “Let the Lawsuits Begin!”, has come to pass.  This week officials from 14 states filed lawsuits to block the healthcare reform bill.  Thirteen of those officials filed suit in a federal court in Pensacola, Florida, minutes after Obama signed the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. The complaint calls the act an “unprecedented encroachment on the sovereignty of the states” and asks a judge to block its enforcement.  The State of Florida was joined by Alabama, Colorado, Idaho, Louisiana, Michigan, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota Texas, Utah and Washington. Virginia’s attorney general, Ken Cuccinelli, filed a separate case in his state Tuesday afternoon. 

Other states have come out and said they would not pursue lawsuits including Airizona, Kentucky and Georgia; although Georgia Republican Governor Sonny Perdue petitioned Democrat Attorney General Thurbert Baker to join the lawsuit filed by the thirteen states mentioned above.  To take it even a step further, Georgia lawmakers reacted to Wednesday’s news that Baker, would not sign on to the lawsuit by filing papers to have him impeached.  Its unlikely impeachment would be successful.  Usually the requirements for such are pretty high.

20-20 hindsight, my blog in January said in reforming healthcare we need “…to take the time to do it right; get it right; and get support.”  OK, so that didn’t happen.  It didn’t take a genius to figure out what was next; lawsuits.  After all, it is the American way. 

Now some of the stuff going on, violence, threats and destruction of property is just wrong.  That is not an acceptable response.  I am not a big fan of lawsuits either, but sometimes it is the best alternative.  Bottom line, if you don’t like what they are doing in government (federal, state, local, or your school board), do something about it.  Get out and vote!  If you don’t vote, don’t complain.  I don’t care if you’re Democrat, Republican, Independent or some other party, go vote.  And don’t vote for the incumbent just because you don’t know who else to vote for.  Do some homework and vote for the best candidate.

There’s my patriotic spiel.  But now that healthcare reform passed, how will lawsuits affect it going into effect?  Will some judge order it be put on hold?  Can that happen?  Will it be months or years before reform actually happens?  Could it be repealed before it ever goes into play?  I don’t know, but one thing’s for sure what we didn’t want or need…Healthcare Reform Gone Wild!  What’s next?

—Marty Hudson

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *