U.S. appeals court hears Kinder's health care suit

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Missouri Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder says he is "cautiously optimistic" after a federal appeals court panel heard arguments in a lawsuit he brought against President Barack Obama's new health care law.

A panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals met Thursday in St. Paul, Minn., to take up the case. It's unclear when the panel will rule.

Like lawsuits in some other states, Kinder's suit challenges the constitutionality of a federal mandate that most people have health insurance or face tax penalties beginning in 2014. But unlike the lawsuits elsewhere, Kinder is suing as an individual -- not on behalf of the state of Missouri.

The 8th Circuit is considering an appeal of a lower court decision that dismissed Kinder's lawsuit for lack of legal standing.