Missouri Lt. Gov. Kinder calls for repeal of health law

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- One of Missouri's leading opponents of the federal health care overhaul says the fight has only just begun.

The Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the constitutionality of President Barack Obama's health care law, including the most disputed part: the mandate that virtually all Americans have health insurance or pay a fine.

After the ruling, Missouri Republican Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder said the law amounts to a monstrous tax on Americans, and he vowed to work toward its full repeal.

The lieutenant governor in 2010 filed his own lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the individual insurance mandate. He says Thursday's ruling demonstrates the importance of that lawsuit and other pending challenge.