“Congress has yet to come up with a clear prescription for the nation’s healthcare system. But some state legislators are already urging voters not to take the medicine. Under Arizona’s Health Care Freedom Act, which was passed by the state legislature this week, a voting initiative will be placed on the 2010 ballot that, if passed, will allow the state to opt out of any federal healthcare plan. Five other states — Indiana, Minnesota, New Mexico, North Dakota and Wyoming — are considering similar initiatives for their 2010 ballots. ‘Our healthcare freedoms are very much at risk by healthcare reforms proposed in Washington, D.C.,’ said Arizona state Rep. Nancy Barto, the Republican legislator who sponsored the measure. ‘We needed to act as a state to protect our citizens and ensure that they will always be able to buy their own healthcare and not be forced into a plan they don’t want.’” (06/25/09)