Oklahoma Governor Asks For Expedited Review Of Federal Health Care Challenge

The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) -- Gov. Mary Fallin says she's joined 28 other Republican governors who sent a letter to President Obama asking him to direct the Department of Justice to expedite the appeals process of the pending state lawsuits against the federal health care bill.

Part of the letter reads: "Given the daunting and costly financial and regulatory burdens that our states and the private sector will face in implementing PPACA over the coming years, particularly during this unprecedented budgetary time, public interest requires expediting a final resolution of the litigation to give certainty as soon as possible. We should not endure years of litigation in the circuit courts, when the Supreme Court can promptly provide finality."

Read the letter

According to a news release Friday, Fallin had been waiting to sign the letter until concerns over the legal implications to Oklahoma's separate lawsuit challenging the president's health care law had been resolved.

"The federal health care reform law is unconstitutional, unworkable and unaffordable," Fallin said. "My goal has always been to pursue the most effective challenge to the law so it can be overturned and replaced.

Attorney General Scott Pruitt filed the federal health care law on Jan. 21.