A US appeals court in Atlanta, Georgia ruled Friday that parts of US President Barack Obama's signature health care reform are unconstitutional, finding that citizens cannot be forced to purchase health insurance, DPA reported.
The ruling upheld parts of an earlier decision by a lower court in the state of Florida, which had gone further in finding the entire legislation unconstitutional.
The decision was in a case brought by justice officials from 26 US states. They argued that the federal government was violating states' rights to regulate the industry.
At the centre of the court battles is whether the federal government can force Americans to purchase health insurance, a requirement that will only take effect under the law in 2014.
Obama's reforms use a combination of the so-called "individual mandate" and extra subsidies to extend coverage to about 30 million Americans that currently have no insurance. Conservatives slammed the law as a government takeover that violates individual freedoms.
A three-judge panel of the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit found Congress had overstepped its bounds with the insurance mandate.
The law faces judicial challenges on multiple fronts and another court in the state of Ohio had found June that the insurance measure was in fact constitutional.
Given the number of cases working their way through the judicial system and the contradictory decisions, the US Supreme Court is likely to be forced to take up the matter.
US court finds parts of Obama's health care reform unconstitutional
A US appeals court in Atlanta, Georgia ruled Friday that parts of US President Barack Obama's signature health care reform are unconstitutional, finding that citizens cannot be forced to purchase health insurance.
