Tennessee: Legislators decry congressional health reform

NASHVILLE - Tennessee Republican leaders are condemning the federal health care overhaul approved Sunday night by the U.S. House.

Lt. Gov. Ron Ramsey, a Republican gubernatorial candidate, today called it a "disaster for Tennessee citizens" and the state's balanced budget requirements.

Charging that the measure "will raise taxes on Tennessee citizens while stripping away the right to control one's own medical decisions," Lt. Gov. Ramsey urged State Attorney General Bob Cooper to challenge the measure's constitutionality in court.

The Tennessee Senate has already approved a bill proponents call the Health Freedom Act. It says regulating whether a person does or does not obtain health insurance, a requirement of the federal bill, is a power reserved to the states and not Congress. It directs Mr. Cooper to sue.

The House version of the bill, sponsored by Rep. Mike Bell, R-Riceville, comes up for a vote in a House subcommittee on Wednesday.

For complete details, see tomorrow's Times Free Press.

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