House Republicans have introduced a new bill to repeal President Barack Obama's health care reform law, the first put forth since the Supreme Court ruled the 2010 law constitutional. The White House quickly responded, saying any repeal would be vetoed by the president.
House Resolution 6079, introduced to the agenda Tuesday morning by Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Virg., would repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010, the bill's language said.
This not the first time House Republicans have tried to repeal the law, but it is the first attempt since the Supreme Court ruled last month that the individual mandate provision in the law is constitutional.
The White House responded to the bill's introduction on Monday night, making clear the president would veto any attempt to repeal the law, which the White House said would "cost millions of hard-working middle class families the security of affordable health coverage and care they deserve."
"Estimates from the Congressional Budget Office indicate that repealing the health care law would add more than $100 billion to the deficit over the next decade, and more than $1 trillion in the following decade," the White House statement said.
The White House added any repeal would allow insurance companies to once again deny coverage based on pre-existing conditions and would rescind young people's ability to stay on their parents' health care plans.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), the group charged with electing Democrats to the House, has also been lobbying against any repeal of the law.
On Monday, the DCCC launched a new ad campaign claiming House Republicans are protecting insurance companies over middle class Americans by calling for a repeal of the ACA.
"House Republicans are sending an unmistakable message to voters that Republicans want to cut benefits for middle class families and protect insurance companies instead," DCCC Chairman Steve Israel, D-N.Y., said in a statement.
The ad notes repealing ACA would once again allow House members to keep their government-subsidized insurance coverage after they retire, a provision blocked under the law.
"Your Member of Congress may vote to repeal important health care benefits for everyday Americans. But she protected 'generous' health plans for Congress at taxpayer expense," one ad targeting Congresswoman Mary Bono Mack, R-Calif., states.
The ads will run in seven districts where the Republican incumbents are seen as particularly vulnerable, including CA-07 (Dan Lungren), CA-36 (Mary Bono Mack), IL-10 (Bob Dold), IL-11 (Judy Biggert), IL-17 (Bobby Schilling), NY-18 (Nan Hayworth) and NY-19 (Chris Gibson).
Republicans supporting H.R. 6079 say it is their right to try for repeal, stating although the Supreme Court ruled the law constitutional, it did not pass judgment on whether the law was good policy.
"What the court did today was say that Obamacare does not violate the Constitution," Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney said after the ruling. "What they did not do was say that Obamacare is good law, or that its good policy."
The bill is likely to pass the House, where Republicans hold a majority.Govtrack.us, a website that tracks bills through the Congress, said the bill has a 95 percent chance of passing the House. However, it is highly unlikely the bill will gain any traction in the Democrat-controlled Senate.
by RTT Staff Writer
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