States wonder: What happens to us after health law ruling?

States are anxiously considering the effect of the pending court decision. In Florida, Gov. Rick Scott says his state will comply with the health law if it is upheld. And in California, officials and lawmakers worry over what a ruling could mean for plans to institute consumer protections. 

The Associated Press: Florida To Carry Out Health Law If Upheld By Court
Florida's Republican governor -- one of the staunchest opponents of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul -- says his state will carry out the law if the Supreme Court upholds it. Gov. Rick Scott told reporters Wednesday "if it is the law of the land, then we are going to comply" (6/20).

The Hill: Gov. Scott: Florida Will Comply If Health Law Is Upheld
Florida Gov. Rick Scott (R) said Wednesday that his state will comply with all portions of the federal health care law if it is upheld by the Supreme Court. Scott added that he is "very optimistic" the Affordable Care Act will be declared unconstitutional, calling the law a "disaster for patients." "Every government program in the world rations care," the former health care executive told reporters. "This is going to be an unbelievable rationing of care" (Viebeck, 6/20).

Sacramento Bee: Imminent Court Ruling Could Undercut California's Health Plans
It is clear some provisions of the law will almost certainly remain intact in California no matter how the court rules. The state already has enacted its own legislation prohibiting most insurers from denying coverage to children because of pre-existing conditions and allowing people up to age 26 to remain on their parents' policies. Yet a reversal of part or all of President Barack Obama's signature health care law could deeply frustrate the administration's broader health care goals (Siders, 6/21).

California Healthline: Senate Rejects ACA/Exchange Bill
If the Supreme Court overturns part or all of the Affordable Care Act in a ruling expected within the next 10 days, California should be ready, according to Senator Tom Harman (R-Huntington Beach). Harman yesterday introduced SB 1321, which would require the California Health Benefit Exchange to submit a report to the Legislature within 90 days, if the Supreme Court reverses any part of the ACA. The Senate Committee on Health rejected the measure (Gorn, 6/21).

CT Mirror:  State Could Face Big Revenue Loss If Patient Protection Act Is Overturned
With the U.S. Supreme Court to rule this week or next on national health care reform, Connecticut officials are holding their collective breath, waiting to see if they must choose between cutting health care benefits for the poor and spending more state money to replace the hundreds of millions in federal dollars that will vanish. Both Connecticut's Medicaid for Low-Income Adults -- commonly known as LIA -- and the state's plans to serve a dramatically expanded general Medicaid population, could be thrown into legal limbo, depending on how the high court interprets the U.S. Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Shortly after the act passed in 2010, Connecticut became the first state to move its state-funded health program for poor adults without children under the federal Medicaid umbrella (Phaneuf, 6/20).

North Carolina Health News:  Health Care Leaders Discuss Effects Of Upcoming Supreme Court Decision
Leaders of some of the Triangle's largest health care organizations met Tuesday to discuss the impact of the federal health care reform law as the U.S. Supreme Court gets ready to deliver its verdicts on the law's various provisions.  A ballroom at the North Ridge Country Club was filled with hundreds of small business owners looking to get some idea of what the health insurance world would look like in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling (Tsipis, 6/20).

Chicago Sun-Times: Much At Stake With Pending 'Obamacare' Court Ruling
"There is a human cost here," Gov. Pat Quinn told the Chicago Sun-Times Wednesday. "We're talking about thousands of people with pre-existing conditions who now have insurance and thousands of young adults who are now covered by their parents' insurance. We're talking about people who are finally receiving the preventative care they need to lead healthier lives and avoid illnesses." ... "If the Medicaid expansion is thrown out, that would have a devastating impact for the county health system," said Marisa Kollias, spokeswoman for the Cook County Health and Hospitals System that operates the John H. Stroger, Jr. Hospital of Cook County (Sweet, Janssen and McKinney, 6/20).

Health Policy Solutions (a Colo. news service): Colorado Businesses Divided On Health Law
From the White House to the Capitol buildings in both Washington, D.C. and Colorado, elected officials and health policy experts are eagerly awaiting a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court that could be the most significant in decades. ... In the U.S., businesses have for decades provided health care to employees. Now business leaders are at the center of the debate (Kerwin McCrimmon, 6/20).