MIAMI (Reuters)—A U.S. judge put on hold his ruling that the sweeping health care reform law was unconstitutional pending appeal, allowing the White House to continue implementing the reforms aimed at lowering soaring health care costs.

But U.S. District Judge Roger Vinson ordered the Obama administration to seek within the next week an expedited appellate review of his Jan. 31 ruling, which favored arguments by 26 states that requiring Americans to buy health insurance starting in 2014 or pay a penalty was unconstitutional.

The Obama administration previously has said it would appeal the Florida judge's ruling and continue implementing the law, which includes provisions allowing young adults to remain on their parents' health care insurance and prevents insurers from denying coverage for pre-existing medical conditions.

While Judge Vinson and a federal judge in Virginia have ruled against the law, a cornerstone of President Barack Obama's domestic agenda, judges in several other states have dismissed challenges.

Judge Vinson, who was appointed to the bench by Republican President Ronald Reagan, is alone in having ruled that the entire Affordable Care Act should be struck down.

In his order on Thursday, Judge Vinson said the highly politicized case is expected to eventually reach the U.S. Supreme Court.

"It is very important to everyone in this country that this case move forward as soon as practically possible," he wrote.

Judge Vinson's order, which basically stayed his Jan. 31 ruling pending appeal, was prompted by a request filed by the U.S. Department of Justice on Feb. 17. In its court filing, the government said the "sweeping nature" of Judge Vinson's judgment that the health care overhaul was unconstitutional posed a risk of "serious harm to many Americans" already benefiting from provisions of the new law.

It also warned it could hamper efforts to combat fraud and waste in Medicare and Medicaid, the massive federal programs that provide health care to the elderly and poor, and "impose staggering administrative burdens" on the government and its fiscal intermediaries, as they would be forced to revamp a system that pays about 100 million Medicare claims processed each month.

"The court's declaratory judgment potentially implicates hundreds of provisions of the Act and, if it were interpreted to apply to programs currently in effect, duties currently in force, taxes currently being collected, and tax credits that may be owed at this time or in the near future, would create substantial uncertainty," the court filing said.