Insisting the state should wait until the US Supreme Court decides whether federal healthcare reform is constitutional, Gov. Chris Christie vetoed a bill today that would form a "health exchange," an online marketplace small employers and uninsured people would use to shop for low-cost coverage.

The veto does not come as a surprise. The health exchange is a key component of President Obama’s Affordable Care Act, which requires everyone to carry health insurance or pay a fine, and Christie has delayed implementing aspects of the federal law before the nation’s highest court announces its decision in June.

"While I appreciate the Legislature’s attempt to find steady policy footing in these shifting legal sands, I am concerned that a hastily created exchange in New Jersey will impose unnecessary obligations upon the state’s citizens," Christie said in his veto message. "I believe the better course of action...is to continue to monitor the ever-changing landscape surrounding the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and to refrain from imposing its mandates upon our citizens until outstanding issues are settled."

Twelve states and Washington, DC, have enacted laws creating a health exchange.

New Jersey’s bill would have created a marketplace -- accessible online and by telephone -- that provides information on how to shop for state-approved health plans. Through the federal law, subsidies would be available to help people pay their premiums.

Some business groups praised Christie’s action.

"A lot of the provisions would add more bureaucracy and cost, rather than providing more choice, availability and simplicity," said Christine Stearns, a vice president for the New Jersey Business & Industry Association. She noted the bill (A2171) calls for a part-time public advisory board with five members, each earning $50,000.

The veto sparked criticism from consumer advocates, Democratic lawmakers and some small-business owners...

Sen. Joseph Vitale (D), a sponsor, said he would try to "work with the administration and to find common ground."

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Editor's Note: The fact that some States -- not to mention the federal government -- are implementing portions of Obamacare prior to judicial validation of the law's constitutionality sets the ground for an incredibly expensive "roll-back." Case in point: Mr. Obama's message to the SCOTUS that it will cost a huge amount to deal with changes to Medicare, which have already been implemented. When this fake "crisis" hits, be ready for this administration to try to pin it on Conservatives and constitutionalists, when, in fact, it is their own damn fault.

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