Cincinnati federal court hears ACA challenge

A three-judge panel in 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati is the latest to hear a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act (Source: “Court tackles health care law,” Cincinnati Enquirer, June 1, 2011).

The suit was brought by a group of Michigan residents, represented by the Thomas More Law Center, who argue that the federal government does not have the authority to compel citizens to buy health care coverage from private insurance companies.

"The federal government has been getting more and more power," said Robert Muise, an attorney for Michigan residents who are challenging the law. "This is where the line has to be drawn."

The suit is one of  26 federal lawsuits aimed at overturning the ACA. Kaiser Health News has developed a “scorecard” that it plans to regularly update with detailed information about all of the federal ACA cases.