If the feds can’t force Arizona to move forward with the massive Medicaid expansion, it’s a near certainty the Republican-led Legislature won’t do it for them. Though the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the core of President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act, it ruled that the federal government couldn’t force states to expand health care for the poor by threatening to take away other Medicaid funding.

Arizona lawmakers who are hesitant about creating a state-run health insurance exchange, a key provision of President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul, will have some extra time to debate the issue.

A string of vetoes is making some Republican legislators wonder if they should turn to Magic 8-Balls, tarot cards and tea leaves next session if they want to know what Gov. Jan Brewer will think of their bills.

Some Republican lawmakers are predicting that they’ll have a budget on Gov. Jan Brewer’s desk by the time the 2011 session hits the 60-day mark, but first, someone will have to budge on K-12 spending and rollovers.

Supporters of Proposition 106 say allowing Arizonans to opt out of any federal or state health care mandate would preserve the right of individuals to make their own decisions. Opponents, however, say the measure could derail the benefits of federal health care reform here if the state can defend it in court.