Health Care Challenge
July 29th, 2010 by flanewsFor the third time in less than a month, a Tallahassee Circuit Judge has ordered a constitutional amendment off the ballot because it was misleading. Today, a proposal aimed at blocking part of the new federal health care laws in Florida was kicked off the ballot, but as Whitney Ray tells us, the judge’s decision will likely be appealed.
32 year old Eddie Darden can’t afford to see a doctor when he gets sick. Staying healthy is a necessity.
“I take good care of myself. I drink plenty of water. I consider myself to be the fruits and vegetable king. There is not a single fruit of vegetable I would decline to eat,” said Eddie Darden.
He’s not alone. The number of Floridians without health insurance has been growing since the economy tanked. In 2008 one out of every five Floridians was without insurance. Today it’s closer to one in four.
New federal health care regulations aim to cut down on the number of uninsured, but state lawmakers are trying to block a provision in the law requiring people to buy health insurance. The state legislature wanted voters to exempt Florida from the requirements, but the ballot language was misleading. Attorney General Bill McCollum is considering an appeal.
“I’m disappointed they threw out amendment 9 because amendment 9 relates to, as you know, to an effort we wanted Florida to join in across the nation to make it very clear that we did not approve of Obama Care,” said McCollum.
While McCollum ponders an appeal, a lawsuit challenging the federal regulations he filed in March is moving though the judicial process. The state legislature voted to put four amendments on the ballot. Three have already been deemed misleading by judges, and the fourth is still being challenged.
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