Landry sues over health care bill

Rep. Jeff Landry, R-New Iberia, joined forces with 48 congressmen last Monday and filed an amicus brief that supports and expands a Virginia lawsuit that claims the national health care plan designed by President Obama and passed by Congress in 2010 is unconstitutional.

“President Obama and the liberal Congress violated the Constitution last year when they forced individuals to purchase health insurance,” Landry said in a printed statement. “Today we are asking the appeals court to uphold [Federal] Judge [Henry E.] Hudson’s ruling and declare the entire law, not just the individual mandate, unconstitutional. Our filing is an important step in reforming our health care system properly and preserving our personal liberties.”

On Dec. 13, 2010, Hudson, in the U.S. District Court of Virginia, ruled in favor of the state of Virginia, and invalidated a key provision of the Affordable Care Act of 2010 that requires all Americans to purchase some form of health insurance. An estimated 50 million Americans have no health care coverage.

In his 42-page opinion, Hudson said that the affordability act would “invite unbridled exercise of the federal policy powers.” He is among those that contend the required purchase of any product is a violation of federal law.

Hudson is also noted as having claimed publicly that Obama is a false president because of questions surrounding his actual place of birth. It is not known when the amicus brief will appear in court.

“I will continue to monitor the progress of each court challenge to Obamacare and hope the judges will continue to make the right decisions,” Landry said. “Hopefully a repeal will pass through both houses of Congress soon and the president will come to his senses to realize the American people do not want the government getting between them and their doctors.”

Rep. Jeff Landry (R-New Iberia) takes legal action against the Obama health care plan that he calls unconstitutional. CASEY GISCLAIR