On Nov. 8, Ohio voters will have the option to join Arizona, Oklahoma and Virginia in passing a “Health Care Freedom” law, aimed at nullifying the federal government’s Affordable Care Act passed last year.

The 1851 Constitutional Law Center, a Columbus-based nonprofit organization, drafted the initiative and collected signatures on petitions since the act was signed into law March 23, 2010.

The main point of contention in the Affordable Care Act debate has been the federal government’s mandate that Americans purchase insurance by 2014.

According to the center, the initiative would prohibit the federal government from forcing citizens and employers to purchase health coverage.

Additionally, it would make it illegal for the government to prevent the purchase of health care and prohibit penalizing or fining health care purchases.

The initiative is focused on keeping bureaucrats out of health care, said Jeff Longstreath, campaign manager for Ohioans for Health Care Freedom.

On July 26, Longstreath’s group and other supporters submitted petitions containing more than 546,000 signatures to Ohio Secretary of State John Husted.

Husted certified that the petitions contained at least the necessary 358,000 valid signatures to get the proposal on the Nov. 8 ballot.

Portions of the Affordable Care Act that have already gone into effect include prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage to patients with pre-existing conditions, allowing dependents to stay on their parents health plans until the age of 26 and an increase in the amount of Medicaid recipients.

The Health Care Freedom Act will join the referendum to repeal Senate Bill 5, the law that restricts collective bargaining for state employee unions, on the November ballot.