What happens next: The decision's immediate impact

Even as it becomes increasingly clear that challenges to the health law are on a straight course for the Supreme Court, yesterday's lower court decision has muddied the waters around the overhaul — in terms of congressional action, political posturing and state-level implementation activities.

Politico: Health Care Could Be High-Court Nail-Biter
It's the kind of case the Supreme Court would rather not touch. In most cases this politically explosive, the justices might look for any technical reason to bounce it back to the lower courts. But now, they may not have a choice (Nather, 2/1).

CNN: Toobin: Fight Over Health Care Law Will End Up At Supreme Court
The fight over the health care reform law ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge on Monday will eventually be decided by the Supreme Court, said CNN senior legal analyst Jeff Toobin (1/31).

The Hill: With Health Reform In Legal Limbo, Dems Consider Their Options
Health care reform supporters have begun to seek alternatives to the unpopular individual mandate at the heart of Monday's surprising decision overturning the entire law (Pecquet, 2/1).

Politico: Florida Health Ruling Gives Republicans Firepower
A Florida federal court ruling against the health care law gave renewed life Monday to Republican efforts to repeal President Barack Obama's signature domestic achievement — a campaign stalled by the Democratic-controlled Senate. But even with the sweeping ruling, there's no sign that Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) is going to allow a repeal vote on the floor — and no Democrats have committed to joining the full slate of Senate Republicans who now back the repeal (Budoff Brown and Shiner, 1/31).

National Journal: Kyl Says Senate Could Vote on Health Care Repeal This Week
[Senator Jon] Kyl and other Republicans today cheered a ruling by a U.S. district court judge in Florida that much of the health care overhaul bill is unconstitutional, but he said they were not sure what if any impact the ruling will have on their efforts to repeal the bill (Friedman, 1/31).

McClatchy: Graham Pushes For State Opt-Out From Health Care Law
Two Senate Republicans Tuesday aim to introduce a measure that would allow states to opt out of the federal health care law, a day after a federal judge declared President Barack Obama's signature legislative achievement unconstitutional. The bill, crafted by Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John Barrasso of Wyoming, would enable states to shield their residents from having to buy health insurance as required by the landmark legislation Obama signed into law last March. The Graham measure would also let states pass legislation freeing their businesses from the mandate to provide employees medical coverage and rejecting expansion of Medicaid benefits (Rosen, 1/31).

CQ HealthBeat: Could Court Ruling Affect The Implementation Of The Health Care Law?
A federal judge's decision Monday to throw out the entire health care law prompted immediate, difficult questions about what might happen to the law's implementation — suggesting to some of the law's critics a scenario in which 26 states could decide to sit back and wait and see what happens as the case is appealed up to the Supreme Court (Norman, 1/31).

Politico: States Still Implementing Health Care Reform
A federal court in Florida may have ruled the health reform law unconstitutional — but you wouldn't know it from the constant buzz of activity in the 26 states that brought suit against the federal overhaul (Kliff, 1/31).