Idaho governor Butch Otter issued an executive order Wednesday banning the implementation of President Obama’s health care law.
Mr. Otter issued an executive order imposing a state prohibition on receiving federal funding for or otherwise implementing the Affordable Care Act. The order follows Mr. Otter’s veto a “nullification bill” earlier in the day.
Touting his support for health insurance reform, Mr. Otter said the proposed bill passed by state lawmakers in the 2011 session would require Idaho to forego the creation of an insurance exchange. Instead, Mr. Otter used the measure as a template for his executive order issued Wednesday. The Idaho Republican governor said his order will allow Idaho to seek additional “health care solutions.”
The executive order comes as a number of states attempt to ban President Obama’s health care law. Half of the nation’s state attorneys general have filed suit against the law, calling into question its constitutionality.
Mr. Otter was the first governor to sign a law requiring his state to sue over the federal health overhaul, terming it a government overreach.
