A federal appeals court in New Orleans has rejected a Texas doctor's challenge to President Barack Obama's health care reform law, ruling that the doctor had no standing to bring his lawsuit.
Health care law opponents had argued the Affordable Care Act, which includes tax penalties for individuals who fail to purchase insurance and employers who fail to provide it, violates the Constitution's requirement that tax measures must start in the House. They had contended the act originated in the Senate.
Rather than address the argument, which had already been rejected by a Texas federal judge last year, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled Friday against the plaintiff, Dr. Steven Hotze, and sent the case back to a district judge with an order to dismiss it.
