Obama signs $938 billion health overhaul; 13 states file suit

By By The Associated Press

Story Created: Mar 23, 2010 at 12:44 PM EDT

Story Updated: Mar 23, 2010 at 1:17 PM EDT

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama has signed the $938 billion health care overhaul that guarantees coverage for 32 million uninsured Americans and represents the biggest accomplishment of his presidency.

The new law will be the main issue in this fall's midterm elections. Obama signed the bill at an elaborate ceremony Tuesday in the East Room of the White House, to be followed by an even larger celebration at an Interior Department auditorium.

Attorneys general from 13 states are suing the federal government to stop the massive health care overhaul, claiming it's unconstitutional.

The lawsuit was filed seven minutes after President Barack Obama signed the overhaul bill Tuesday. It names the U.S. departments of Health and Human Services, Treasury and Labor.

Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum is taking the lead in the lawsuit. Attorneys general from South Carolina, Nebraska, Texas, Michigan, Utah, Pennsylvania, Alabama, South Dakota, Louisiana, Idaho, Washington and Colorado are joining in. Other GOP attorneys general may join the lawsuit later or sue separately.

The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Pensacola.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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