Ohio Healthcare Question Cleared for Fall Ballot

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohioans will be able to vote this November on whether they want to participate in the national health care overhaul.

Secretary of State Jon Husted said Tuesday that opponents to the overhaul collected nearly 427,000 valid signatures to get a constitutional amendment on the ballot. The measure needed roughly 385,000 signatures.

At question is a proposed amendment to Ohio's Constitution to keep people from being required to buy health insurance or face penalties. The federal mandate would go into effect in 2014, when new competitive insurance exchanges are scheduled to open.

Opponents say the federal government is overreaching by requiring individuals to purchase a product. The Obama administration counters that Congress' power to regulate interstate commerce squares the constitutionality of the mandate.