When it come to health care reform, Maryland officials have prided themselves on being ahead of the game – in adding thousands to the ranks of the insured and in setting up the framework that will enable more to get coverage.

So, it’s probably no surprise that Gov. Martin O’Malley has not signed onto lawsuits against the new law. A judge in Virginia recently bucked other rulings and said it is unconstitutional to mandate that individuals buy insurance, a central tenet of reform.

Many legal experts have said the matter will be decided in the Supreme Court, and today O’Malley sent a letter to the governor of Virginia saying he would not sign onto a request from him to expedite the high court’s review.

“We have a difference of opinion on the underlying issue,” O’Malley wrote to Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell, after apparently, the two spoke on the phone about the matter.

“I believe that affordable healthcare for all Americans regardless of pre-existing conditions will strengthen our nation and make America more competitive in the new global economy.

"Most of the judicial opinions arising out of these nuisance cases are actually upholding the law. And on the narrow issue of personal responsibility, I believe that too will be upheld – just as mandatory automobile insurance coverage has been upheld in years past in your state and mine.”

How do you think the court will decide?