The House of Representatives voted 245-189 on Wednesday to pass a resolution to repeal the health-care reform that was signed into law by President Barack Obama last year.
The resolution had been promised by the new Republican leadership in the House. The vote isn’t likely to lead to any effective repeal with a Democratic majority in the Senate and Obama still in the White House, but Republicans still talked up today’s vote as being historic.
“Tonight House Republicans, with my support, delivered on our promise to the American people to hold a vote on legislation that would repeal the Democrats’ sweeping health care reform law. As I have said time and time again, the Democrats’ health care reform law is a monstrosity, which amounts to a big government takeover of our health care system – one that will lead to fewer choices, higher prices and rationed care,” Sixth District Republican Bob Goodlatte said in a statement tonight.
“The Democrats’ health care law raises costs, increases taxes, places burdensome government regulations and mandates on small businesses, and will destroy jobs and hurt our economy. Voting to repeal the government takeover of health care is another way to help foster an economic environment of certainty that will give businesses the confidence necessary to hire and expand,” said Fifth District Republican Robert Hurt, who defeated Democrat Tom Perriello in November in a campaign in which Hurt played up Perriello’s vote for the reform law in the House.
Both Hurt and Goodlatte tried to answer critics who have said that Republicans are doing little other than saying no to reform without offering anything substantive in the face of the health-care cost crisis that preceded last year’s reform.
“This does not mean a return to the status quo. As a co-sponsor of the resolution that instructs committees to develop legislation to replace the Democrats’ health care law with market-oriented solutions, I am committed to finding ways to reduce health care costs and keep quality care while removing the government from the patient-doctor relationship,” Hurt said.
“I will continue working to advance a positive, patient-centered strategy that puts patients, families and doctors, not Washington bureaucrats, in control of personal health care decisions,” said Goodlatte, touting legislative efforts to allow for the purchase of health insurance across state lines and allow individuals and small businesses to join large pools to get more competitive rates, among other GOP-backed ideas.
Story by Chris Graham. Chris can be reached at [email protected].
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Chris Graham
