Washington Digest: Republicans in House fulfill campaign promise
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. House voted last week to repeal the 2010 health care law, carrying out a pledge that Republicans made during their successful campaigns to win control of the body in the fall.
House members voted 245-189 for repeal, with every Republican voting to scrap the law and every Democrat but three voting against repeal.
Republican leaders conceded the measure has little chance of advancing in the Democrat-controlled Senate. They said their Plan B will be to seek changes piecemeal in parts of the law they find objectionable.
The far-reaching law engineered by Democrats last year sets out to provide health coverage to 32 million uninsured Americans, and in the process calls for broad changes including requiring most companies to offer a health care benefit and most people to buy insurance by 2014 or pay a fine.
Supporters said the law contains a number of consumer protections against insurance company mistreatment and will provide a lifeline to millions of people. Critics charged the law will be too costly and unwieldy as it inserts the government further than ever into the health care system.
Reps. Dean Heller and Joe Heck, both R-Nev., voted to repeal the health law. Rep. Shelley Berkley, D-Nev., voted against repeal.
Replacement effort begins
Lawmakers voted 253-175 for a resolution instructing four House committees to begin work on a replacement health care bill.
The resolution contained guidelines for any replacement bill. Among the directives, it said the new legislation should increase the number of insured people, lower health care premiums and provide people with pre-existing medical conditions access to affordable insurance.
The new legislation also should prohibit federal funding of abortions and put in place a new medical liability system for malpractice lawsuits, according to the guidelines.
Republican leaders said the resolution was the first step to replacing the 2010 Democrat-written law with one they argued would be more successful in driving down health care costs. Critics said the resolution set no deadlines for new legislation and was vague and toothless.
Heller and Heck voted for the resolution. Berkley voted against it.
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