This past Wednesday, House conservatives followed through with their promise to repeal Obamacare. The vote – 245-189 – marks a major first step in overturning the mammoth, $2.5 trillion health care law.
Here is an excerpt from the Vote Alert we distributed to House offices in advance of Wednesday’s vote:
"From its inception to final passage, NTU has vehemently opposed the health care law because of its enormous tax hikes, inclusion of an 'individual mandate,' and mounds of restrictive regulations. This onerous law is NOT real reform, but rather a political ploy to deceive taxpayers and to expand the federal government in a way that is both unprecedented and unsustainable. Our nation deserves better.
Last year, the 111th Congress chose to ignore the wishes of the American people and implement a package that has done little to lower costs or improve the quality of health care. Furthermore, reports surfaced last fall that claimed the law could raise premiums as much as 20 percent, while 2,000+ pages of hidden taxes and fees have made transparency nearly impossible. It is imperative that Congress start over and enact reforms that put health care choices in the hands of patients and their doctors – not government bureaucrats."
The fate of Obamacare repeal in the U.S. Senate remains unclear, as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has vowed he will not permit it to reach the floor. That being said, Senator Jim DeMint is rumored to have a Senate version already in the works, and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement after Wednesday’s House vote: “The Democratic leadership in the Senate doesn’t want to vote on this bill. But I assure you, we will.”
And, regardless of Senate action (or inaction) on Obamacare repeal, the new House majority is already moving forward. According to The Hill, Representatives voted Thursday to instruct individual committees to begin to develop alternatives to the law.
The battle to "repeal and replace" is far from over, folks. It's only just begun.