The new Republican majority controlling the U.S. House of Representatives passed a measure Wednesday evening that would repeal the federal health-care law backed by President Barack Obama in 2010. Joined by three Democrats, 242 Republicans voted for the repeal measure while 189 votes were cast against it.
Its chances of passing both chambers are dim, however. In the Senate, the minority Republicans don't have enough votes for repeal.
Floridas congressional delegation split on partisan lines --with all the Republicans in the delegation backing the repeal measure, while the Democrats opposed it.
Dollar for dollar the numbers didnt add up when I opposed Obamacare before, and they dont add up now, said Republican U.S. Rep. Ander Crenshaw. Raising taxes, imposing new mandates, and increasing uncertainty for employers and entrepreneurs is not what we need in a time of double-digit unemployment and massive debt. Thats why I support this laws repeal and back its replacement with common-sense reforms to lower health care costs and protect jobs.
My constituents did not ask for a policy that would weaken our economy and eliminate jobs, added Crenshaw. They didnt ask for mandates to stand in the way of economic progress. They didnt ask for cuts to Medicare. And, they certainly did not ask for costly new taxes. Yet, thats what they have, and Congress is now in the position to brighten this stormy economic picture with policy that makes sense.
South Florida freshman Republican U.S. Rep. David Rivera also pushed for repeal.
The American people understand that the health care law is bad for our economy, and bad for our country, said Rivera. We understand that far from being deficit-neutral, the health care law only succeeds in growing the federal deficit and adding on to our national debt through increased spending. We understand that instead of helping reform entitlement programs like Medicare for the better, the health care law guts these programs that elderly and disabled people rely on for medical care. We understand that far from lightening the burden on small businesses, the health care law increases costs for small-business owners through more regulations and reporting requirements.
Our nation cannot afford this health care law, said Rivera. We must repeal and replace it.
The House is listening to the message that Americans sent Washington this past fall, said Republican U.S. Rep. Gus Bilirakis. America simply cannot afford a health care overhaul that costs jobs, spends over a trillion dollars and raises premiums. We will replace the overreaching health care law with sensible solutions that will lower costs, increase access to insurance, preserve the doctor-patient relationship and keep Americans in charge of their own health."
Bilirakis took to the House floor earlier in the day to push the repeal measure.
Democrats from the Sunshine State unanimously stood against the measure.
The majority of Americans want Congress to work on creating jobs, but the Republican majority in Congress has demanded we spend the opening weeks of the 112th Congress on the political spectacle of repealing health care reform, said Democratic U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch.
A repeal of the Affordable Care Act would have a devastating impact on Floridas economy, insisted Deutch. Our state has the second-highest rate of uninsured Americans in the country. For the past decade, our businesses, workers, and families have been squeezed by premium hikes from health insurance companies, growing the rolls of our uninsured from 3.1 million people in 2000 to 4.1 million in 2009. The Affordable Care Act is putting the brakes on these skyrocketing premiums this year by requiring insurers to run more efficiently or reimburse their customers for unjustifiable hikes in 2012. This year, thousands of small businesses in Florida are taking advantage of tax breaks that make covering their employees possible for the first time.
"It is indeed a sad day for our nation when my Republican colleagues would vote to help themselves over helping the American people, said Democratic U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings.Rather than focus on the true task before us -- putting more Americans back to work -- House Republicans have set the tone for the beginning of the 112th Congress by pursuing this fruitless repeal effort for their own political gain instead of measures to create jobs and grow our economy.
Republicans may be able to change words on a page as if nothing happened, but they cannot undo the Affordable Care Act without hurting those whom it has helped, and the millions more it will help, continued Hastings. While it is troubling that Republicans would gamble with the health of Americans, I am confident that this legislation will go no further in the Senate nor ultimately be signed into law by President Obama.
Hastings has reason to be confident as Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., indicated that the repeal measure would not even come before the Senate.
Reids decision came under fire from newly inaugurated Republican U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio.
In voting to repeal Obamacare, our colleagues in the House have taken an important step, said Rubio. We need to repeal the federal health care law and replace it with common-sense reforms that will lower health care costs and get more Americans insured. Obamacare creates uncertainty for job creators, threatens Medicare as Floridians know it, and lays the foundation for government-run health care.
"Instead, we need to replace it with reforms that promote competition, empower patients with more high-quality health care options, combat fraud and integrate the latest technologies to make the system more efficient and the patient better informed. I look forward to working with my colleagues in the Senate to repeal and replace Obamacare, and hope the Democrat leadership will heed the American peoples call by allowing an up-or-down vote.
From the Washington Post, here's a rundown of how all members of the House voted.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or at (850) 727-0859.
