Under the new law, individuals who do not purchase health insurance must pay a fine of $695 or 2.5 percent of their income, whichever is higher.

"If the federal government can mandate commerce, there is little left that the federal government cannot do," Parnell said. "Americans have fought against this kind of coercion from the beginning."

In its 1994 report during the push for health care reform under President Bill Clinton, the CBO stated the individual mandate was an, "unprecedented form of federal action. The government has never required people to buy any good or service as a condition of lawful residence in the United States."

In July 2009, the Congressional Research Service called the individual mandate a "novel issue."

"Whether such a requirement would be constitutional under the Commerce Clause is perhaps the most challenging question posed by such a proposal,"according to the CRS.

Before the press conference was over, Alaska's Congressional delegation had already begun to weigh in.

Sen. Mark Begich, who voted for the bill, blasted the decision.

"At a time when Alaska's unemployment rate is at record highs and families are struggling to make ends meet, the administration of Governor Sean Parnell has decided to spend countless hours and hundreds of thousands of dollars on a lawsuit of dubious merit which is unlikely to be successful," Begich said in his prepared statement. "That level of state dollars and resources could be better spent keeping our economy healthy, creating jobs for Alaskans and protecting public safety."

Parnell said that after consulting with the Florida AG, the cost to Alaska for joining in the lawsuit will be about $5,000.

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