Last updated on September 25th, 2023 at 02:46 pm
The House has voted to repeal the Affordable Care Act 239-186, but House Republicans didn’t just vote to repeal Obamacare. By voting for repeal, they also voted to take away access to health care from 19 million Americans.
No Democrats voted for repeal, and three Republicans voted against repealing the Affordable Care Act
The Republican argument was the same one that has ignored the reality of the law’s success for years. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy called the ACA a disaster while claiming that “The People” don’t want Obamacare. Despite the fact that the ACA has lowered costs, McCarthy claimed that costs have gone up. He brought out the tired old argument that taking away access to health care promoted freedom. He also claimed that Obamacare was government run health care. Nothing in the Majority Leader’s remarks was true.
Before the vote, House Ways and Means Committee Democrats released a statement that revealed the truth, “We’ve had more than four years of the Republicans telling us they have a better solution. To date, the ACA has succeeded in helping millions of working families and retirees: 19 million Americans who would otherwise be uninsured are now covered; 9 billion in premium dollars saved; $15 billion in savings on drugs for seniors. Four years and counting of empty Republican promises.”
Rep. Sander Levin called out the lie that health care costs are rising because of the ACA. He said, “It’s a lie. It’s a fib.” He said the problem that Republicans have with the law is that it is working.
There was nothing new in the Republican argument. It was an endless stream of half-truths and falsehoods.
Beyond taking away access to health care for 19 million Americans, House Republicans also voted to throw 3 million children off of their parents’ health insurance. They also voted today to deny 129 million Americans with pre-existing conditions access to affordable health care. House Republicans voted to raise prescription drug costs on 8.2 million seniors. Republicans voted to raise Medicare premiums on seniors.
The media and some on the left often get caught up in talking about the volume of House Republican attempts to kill the ACA. What often gets overlooked is what repealing the ACA will do. The Republican efforts do not contain a plan to replace the ACA. The Republican efforts are centered around taking away access to and the benefits of affordable health care.
Behind the politics is the reality that House Republicans passed a bill today that if it became law would harm hundreds of millions of Americans.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
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