Since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) was passed in 2010, the Republican party has attempted to repeal the law scores of times, mostly in the House.
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The Republican-controlled Senate passed the bill in a 52-47 vote.
As it stands, they lack the two-thirds House and Senate majorities needed to override a presidential veto.
“The president can’t be shielded by the weighty decision he’ll finally have to make when this measure lands right on his desk”, said Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. He called the bill’s passage “a victory for the middle class families who’ve endured this law’s pain for too long”.
Senate Budget Committee Chairman Mike Enzi said in a debate that the PPACA was “unworkable, unaffordable, and more unpopular than ever. Most Americans are still opposed to this unprecedented expansion of government intrusion into health care because it represents nothing more than broken promises, higher costs, and fewer choices”.
“The campaign against women’s health and the trumped up crusade against Planned Parenthood must come to an end”. The group “has shown a clear disregard for the sanctity of life and hardworking taxpayers should not be footing the bill for these inhumane practices”, he said.
Planned Parenthood is a non-profit organization that provides reproductive health services to American citizens.
Still, pro-life groups hailed the vote as an important step forward toward protecting unborn children.
“I am committed to ensuring women have access to quality health care, like cancer screenings and wellness visits, and that our health care providers are in compliance with federal law”, Donnelly said. Obama said at the time that the law has helped tens of millions of Americans and is here to stay.
Democrats have argued that millions of people now have insurance and have seen their health coverage improved under the law. “Do they meet with them?”
Democrat and Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid condemned the repeal attempt in a statement made Thursday. Planned Parenthood would also lose its funding for one year. Ted Cruz for President, who was a strong proponent of the defunding measure and provided inspiring leadership on this issue. Sanders, an Independent senator, is running as a Democratic presidential candidate in the 2016 election.
If passed, the bill would take away the mandate in the Affordable Care Act that requires individuals to have health insurance and companies with over 50 employees to insure their staff, among other portions of the health care law. “What they got instead was the cold shoulder of indifference”.
“It’s either repeal or nothing”, Sen. Senate Democrats have managed to block over 60 previous Republican attempts at repealing Obamacare, according to Reuters.
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The bill would now be voted on in the House of Representatives, and supporters say it’s highly likely the House would approve it.
