On the sidewalk outside the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, interest groups were vying for attention Tuesday. Trixie Averill rallied members of the group, Americans for Prosperity. "We are opposed to nationalized health care," Averill said. Opponents of health care reform included a busload of AFP members from central and western Virginia.
Supporters of health care reform shared personal stories of how the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act has helped them. Larry Kim is a student at the University of Virginia. "Especially individuals like myself with type 1 diabetes. If I get kicked off my health insurance, I need my insulin. I need my diabetic supplies," Kim told News 7.
Dell Erwin lives in Charlottesville. "If you want to take away the bill that’s going to help so many people, what are you going to put in its place," she asked.
The three judge panel would hear two appeals Tuesday, including the case argued by Liberty University Law School Dean Mathew Staver. At issue was the mandate requiring everyone to buy health insurance. "Liberty University and our clients firmly believe as we have from the beginning that Congress overstepped its boundaries, went beyond the Constitution to enact this forced mandate which is unprecedented in American history." Staver said.
The judges also heard an appeal of the constitutional challenge that brought Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli a first round victory in federal court.
"The government’s ability to intrude in our lives, again supposedly for our own good, will be virtually unlimited," Cuccinelli told reporters after the hearing.
The three-judge panel is expected to rule within several weeks, but the end of the road for this case won't come until it reaches the U.S. Supreme Court.
Associated Press
RICHMOND, Va.
A federal appeals panel dominated by appointees of President Barack Obama has heard arguments in two Virginia lawsuits challenging his health care overhaul.
The three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals vigorously questioned lawyers on both sides of the issue Tuesday. The panel included Obama appointees Andre Davis and James Wynn. They were joined by Diana Motz, an appointee of former President
Bill Clinton.
The most spirited questioning focused on the key issue of whether the law's requirement that individuals buy health insurance or pay a penalty is constitutional. Two federal judges in Virginia
reached opposite conclusions on that point.
The panel likely will take a few weeks to rule, but the case is expected to end up at the U.S. Supreme Court.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
