In a referendum, Missouri voters rejected a key component of the nation's new health care overhaul this week. By a vote of 71% to 29% voters rejected the section of the law that requires people to have health insurance. Supporters of the overhaul played down the vote, noting it has no practical impact but they conceded that a lack of public support could make it hard to put the law into practice. Republicans said the vote marks a turning point in the health care debate.
Lawmakers in several other states have passed laws rejecting the individual mandate. However these state laws and Missouri's vote are largely symbolic because they are trumped by federal law. More consequential are the legal challenges that have been brought by Republican state attorneys general. A federal judge has ruled that Virginia's suit can go forward.
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