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Democratic governors in at least four states, including Colorado, are “at war” with attorneys general from the other political party, writes The New York Times. The battle lines are being drawn by lawyers in their fight over health-care-reform legislation pushed by Democrats and signed by President Barack Obama earlier this month.
Now, Governor Bill Ritter, along with his counterparts in Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Washington, is pledging his assistance in defending the new law against the litigation filed by the states. In Colorado, Attorney General John Suthers, a Republican, opposes the “individual mandate” that requires people to obtain health insurance or be penalized.
“I am confident the reforms poised to become law in Washington will complement and support Colorado’s efforts, that they are within Congress’ power to regulate commerce, and that they are constitutionally sound,” Ritter says (via the Grand Junction Free Press).
Meanwhile, former Colorado Supreme Court Justice Jean Dubofsky, a founding member and current chair of the Board of Directors of the Bell Policy Center, is critical of the reasoning behind the lawsuit, notes The Colorado Independent.
And KUNC reports that Ritter is poised to sign a bill later today that will make it illegal for health-insurance companies to discriminate against women when it comes to setting policy prices.