BILL COTTERELL
News-press.com
Wednesday, Dec 30th, 2009
TALLAHASSEE — Attorney General Bill McCollum
called on other states’ legal officers Tuesday to review a
“tax on living” in the pending federal health-care
proposals.
In a conference call with reporters, McCollum also said he might
mount a court challenge if the final health package includes a Senate
provision requiring the federal government to cover future Medicaid
costs in Nebraska. That was added last week for Sen. Ben Nelson,
D-Neb., who provided the 60th vote needed by President Obama and Senate
Democrats to get the plan to a vote.
State Sen. Dan Gelber of Miami Beach, a Democratic candidate for
attorney general, accused McCollum, a Republican, of pouncing on the
controversy to advance his own campaign for governor. Gelber said
McCollum didn’t use his discretion as the state’s chief
legal officer to enforce a state constitutional requirement for
adequate funding of education, but chose to make a “legal
review” of health care because that issue stirs the conservative
base among Republicans and independent voters.
McCollum said “there are a lot of other problems” with
the health package, but his main legal objection focused on a
requirement all citizens get insurance or pay into a fund that would
help cover their medical costs if they get sick or injured. Proponents
of the plan have said the mandate is no different than requiring
drivers to have auto insurance, but McCollum said people are not
required to have a car or to drive.
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