Oregon AG to defend health care bill in court

[OregonBlue]

SALEM, Ore. - Oregon’s Attorney General John Kroger said Wednesday the state will defend in court the new health care bill that Congress passed and President Barack Obama signed into law.

Kroger’s announcement came almost a week after he said he would not join other attorneys general in challenging the health care legislation in court. Washington state Attorney General Rob McKenna said last week that he’ll join a multistate challenge to the constitutionality of the health care bill.

McKenna said forcing people to buy health insurance was an “unprecedented federal mandate” that violates the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.

In an interview with KATU News reporter Anna Song Kroger said, “I think if you look at the Supreme Court’s cases on the Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution over the last 70 years, it clearly suggests that the government has the power to regulate insurance and indeed to require people to either buy insurance or to pay additional taxes to help pay for insurance.”

http://www.katu.com/news/local/89658022.html