A federal appeals court panel ruled Friday that the requirement in President Barack Obama's health care law that nearly all Americans must have health insurance is unconstitutional.

The divided three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals sided with 26 states that sued to block the law.

Under the individual mandate, Congress would require virtually all Americans to buy health insurance or face penalties.

But the judges found that, "What congress cannot do is mandate that individuals enter into contracts with private insurance companies for the purchase of an expensive product from the time they are born until the time they die."

Other courts have been divided on the issue.

After the decision, Jay Sekulow, senior counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, called the ruling "a critical step forward in undoing 'Obamacare.'"

The universal health care fight is expected to go all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.