NASHVILLE - Tennessee is close to telling the federal government that the state won't recognize all the provisions of the new health care overhaul passed by Congress last year.

However, opponents say the bill now headed to the governor's desk will hold no weight, as laws passed by the U.S. Congress trump state laws.

Beth Uselton, executive director of the Tennessee Health Care Campaign, a nonpartisan patient advocacy organization, calls it a "distraction" from the real problems Tennessee families are facing.

"We believe that the passage was purely a political statement that the Legislature wanted to make to the federal government. But in a very practical sense, it doesn't do anything to help Tennessee families that are hurting under the current health care system," she said.

Supporters of the legislation say it doesn't argue for or against the federal health reforms, but simply gives Tennesseans a choice rather than mandating health insurance coverage.

But Uselton said if it is implemented, insurance companies would continue to be allowed to deny coverage to some people because of pre-existing medical conditions. The new federal health care law requires Americans either to buy health insurance or pay a penalty, beginning in 2014.

Uselton believes those lawmakers who are trying to block the implementation of health care reform are playing with the lives and livelihoods of their own citizens.

"When our State Legislature is spending time on bills like this, that are making political statements and nothing more, that's time that could be better spent on solutions that are working, for Tennessee's working families," Uselton said.

A recent report by the advocacy group Families USA indicates Tennessee has 1.2 million residents with pre-existing medical conditions, many of whom are also unemployed.

Uselton said the federal health reform law will address these problems by banning pre-existing condition exclusions and providing tax credits to help people afford coverage.