Yesterday (February 3), the United States House of Representatives made yet another attempt to start the process of repealing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. House Resolution 596 passed by a vote of 239 to 186, with the tally split almost entirely along party lines. (No Democrat voted for it, although three new Republican members did join the Democrats in voting against it.) The legislation now moves on to the Republican-controlled Senate. Even if it is put to a vote there and passes, it is unlikely that the resolution will become law, at least in the near future, as President Obama is certain to veto the legislation.
H.R. 596 represents the 56th time that the House has voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act, either entirely or in part. (Several similar pieces of legislation have already been introduced in either house during the current session, but H.R. 596 represents the first time that such legislation has actually been put to a vote.) Due to the lack of success in formally repealing the Affordable Care Act, the latest attempt represents more of a symbolic effort to draw public attention to what some consider the law’s flaws.
Even with their consistent efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Republicans have not actually offered an alternative. That could change, however, since H.R. 596 includes a provision tasking House committees with creating a health-care law that would take Act’s place. Based on the guidelines laid out in the provision, the alternative law should promote economic expansion and private-sector job creation, while lowering health premiums and increasing the number of Americans with health insurance. Committees would need to report back within six months. Also, Republican leaders in the House have put together a task force to create proposals for reforming health care.
These moves are coming in response to an upcoming U.S. Supreme Court case, King v. Burwell, that could result in 6 million Americans across 30 states losing the federal subsidies that enable them to purchase health insurance. (For more background on the case, click here.) Republicans would need to take such changes into account when crafting an alternative to the Affordable Care Act.