Senate, House Pass Budget Measure to Repeal ACA

Following a 51 to 48 vote in the Senate, the House of Representatives voted 227 to 198 in favor of a budget measure that is being totted as the initial step to repealing the Affordable Care Act.

The budget measure will pave the way for special legislation known as a reconciliation bill. The legislative strategy—passing a measure to initiate a reconciliation bill—allows Republicans to ensure that their efforts to dismantle the health care law are immune from filibuster and only require a simple majority. 

“This law is a failed law,” House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wisconsin) recently said while addressing Republican efforts to eliminate the ACA. “The largest health [insurer] in America, United pulled out—Aetna pulled out. The law is failing very quickly, and that means people have nothing. Or, if they have health insurance, their deductible is so high it doesn’t even feel like you have insurance. And their premiums are going up double digits. So, we have an obligation to protect our country from a failing health care system which is Obamacare.” 

In response, physician and health care advocacy groups have spoken out against the actions taken by both the Senate and House, claiming that they pose a grave  threat against the health of Americans. 

“The American College of Physicians (ACP) has warned Congress that repealing the ACA will lead to massive losses of coverage and consumer protections for people enrolled in commercial insurance markets and in the Medicaid program, slow the movement to value-based payment reforms, force seniors to pay more for their prescription drugs, and undermine initiatives to prevent illnesses and promote public health,” Nitin S Damle, MD, MS, president of the ACP, said in a press release. “If the ACA is repealed, every state in the country will experience big increases in the uninsured rate, uncompensated care, and potential loss of coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. ACA repeal would also add more than $9 trillion to the public debt unless offset by cuts to Medicare, Social Security and other programs.”

Republican lawmakers have previously stated that they intend for an ACA replacement to coincide with its repeal; however, they have yet to formally announce details on a replacement plan.  —David Costill