Health care sparks battles between state, federal legislation

USA Today: "In a backlash against President Obama's health care legislation that stretches from Virginia to California, lawmakers in more than two-thirds of the states are scrambling to undercut the bill before it even passes Congress." Legal scholars say that state legislation isn't the final word, however. "The state measures are likely to be challenged in court, setting up new legal battles over whether federal law can trump state laws. … [Wake Forest University law professor Mark Hall] says federal laws typically trump state laws, making the health care efforts in the states little more than 'a form of civil disobedience.' States' rights proponents are undaunted" (Hall, 3/15).

Minneapolis Star Tribune: About 2,000 protestors attended a rally at the state Capitol in Minnesota against the health care bill on Saturday. Republicans, social conservatives and members of the Tea Party movement were in attendance to protest the bill. "The headliner and clear crowd favorite was Republican Sixth District Rep. Michele Bachmann, who said Democrats 'are spending us into bondage we can never dig ourselves out of'" (Von Sternberg, 3/13).

Ontario, Idaho, Argus Observer: The Idaho state legislature has passed a bill opposing two initiatives before Congress. The joint memorial passed by the state legislature opposes cap and trade legislation to curb greenhouse gases and any federal requirement to buy health insurance (Meyer, 3/13).

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This article was reprinted from khn.org with permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. Kaiser Health News, an editorially independent news service, is a program of the Kaiser Family Foundation, a nonpartisan health care policy research organization unaffiliated with Kaiser Permanente.