Alaska Governor Refuses to Implement Obamacare
Following Judge Vinson's ruling declaring the federal healthcare legislation void, Alaska Governor Sean Parnell has said he will not implement the unconstitutional law.
by Amanda Griffin-Johnson
Following Judge Vinson’s ruling in January declaring the federal healthcare legislation void, there was some uncertainty about what would happen next. But Michael Cannon and Ilya Shapiro of the Cato Institute have argued that the legal meaning of the Florida lawsuit is not ambiguous because “federal courts do not issue advisory opinions” and “[t]he parties to any lawsuit are bound by any resulting judgment.” They contend that “at minimum, then, the government lacks authority to implement ObamaCare where the case was decided, in the Northern District of Florida, and the 26 state plaintiffs need take no action to do so.”
Since Alaska was a plaintiff in that case, Governor Sean Parnell has stated that “[t]he state of Alaska will not pursue unlawful activity to implement a federal health care regime that has been declared unconstitutional by a federal court.” The Associated Press reports:
Parnell said the state would pursue lawful, market-based solutions of its own. That includes looking at the potential for a health insurance exchange without the “shiny but poisonous apple” of federal dollars and mandates “that create federal dependency and control.”
He faced a Friday deadline for applying for federal funds to help set up an exchange and faced pressure from seven Democratic state senators to do so. He refused.
Parnell said several of the lawmakers who petitioned him are attorneys like he is and considering the Florida ruling, they should know better.
Florida Governor Rick Scott has also stated that he plans to halt implementation of ObamaCare until the issue is resolved. When speaking with reporters earlier this month, Gov. Scott said, “We are not going to spend a lot of time and money with regard to trying to get ready to implement that until we know exactly what is going to happen.”