Virginia has beaten Missouri to the punch, becoming the first state in the nation to approve legislation (aka: a national healthcare nullification law) that will allow its citizens to avoid any federal mandate to buy health insurance or participate in a particular healthcare system, assuming the law holds up in court. But Missouri, as well as Idaho and Tennessee, may not be far behind. At least one legislative house has already passed a related bill in each of these states.
According to the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) in Washington, D.C., 37 states besides Missouri have similar bills pending or have announced plans to introduce legislation based on ALEC's model Freedom of Choice in Healthcare Act. Further, the act actually has been filed or pre-filed in a total of 33 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming.
To learn more about healthcare nullification laws:
- read the Healthcare Finance News article
- check out the ALEC press release