House Repeals Healthcare Reform

Because the Democratically-controlled Senate is vanishingly unlikely to take up a similar measure, this is essentially just a symbolic gesture, evidence that the House Republicans are both totally obnoxious and still way better than the Dems at understanding how to play to their base.

The Hill: "The House voted on Wednesday to repeal the sweeping healthcare law enacted last year, as Republicans made good on a central campaign pledge and laid down the first major policy marker of their new majority. The party-line vote was 245-189, as three Democrats joined all 242 Republicans in supporting repeal."

Washington Post: "Republicans vowed to keep pushing to overturn the law. But with no immediate likelihood of that happening, they said they would try to change it by eliminating certain parts of the law, such as a requirement that nearly all Americans obtain health insurance - and working to replace others. They also hope to take advantage of Democratic support for a proposal to remove a tax on businesses, an idea that President Obama has indicated he is willing to consider."

New York Times:

Republicans denounced the law as an intrusion by the government that would prompt employers to eliminate jobs, create an unsustainable entitlement program, saddle states and the federal government with unmanageable costs, and interfere with the doctor-patient relationship. Republicans also said the law would exacerbate the steep rise in the cost of medical services.

...Democrats, eager for a second chance to sell the law, trumpeted the benefits that have already taken effect. These include protections for people who would otherwise be denied insurance coverage based on a pre-existing medical condition, the ability for children to stay on their parents' policy until age 26, and new tax breaks for small businesses that provide health coverage to their workers.

Representative John Lewis, Democrat of Georgia, said, "It is unbelievable that with so many people out of work and millions of people uninsured, the first act of this new Congress is to take health care away from people who just got coverage."

Also see D-Day.