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After Failed
Attempt Senate Republican Leaders Vow to Continue
Efforts to Repeal and Replace ObamaCare Part Two of Three By Dave Andrusko Two weeks from the day the House voted to repeal ObamaCare and two days after Federal Judge Roger Vinson declared the law unconstitutional, the Senate rejected Republican efforts to overturn "The Patient Protection and Affordability Care Act." The vote was strictly along party lines: 51 Democrats rejecting the attempt and 47 in support. (Sens. Mark Warner and Joe Lieberman were absent .) Undeterred Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) told reporters after the vote, "We think this is just the beginning," adding, "This issue is still before us, and we are going to go at it in a variety of ways." "The case against this bill is more compelling every day," McConnell said during the debate. "Everything we learn tells us it was a bad idea. That it should be repealed and replaced. The courts say so. The American people say so. Job creators say so. It's time for those who passed this bill to show that they've noticed. Let's take this opportunity." Only a couple of weeks ago the pro-abortion Senate Democratic leadership boasted that a vote would never take place. But "Just holding the vote is a political victory for Republicans: McConnell managed to force the roll call on the floor of the Democratic-controlled Senate," the Hill reported. A number of Democrats who are up for re-election in 2012 are now on record as rejecting the opportunity McConnell said yesterday's vote provided to those who had voted in favor of ObamaCare in 2010: "Yes, maybe my vote for this bill was a mistake and that we can do better." According to many accounts, Republicans have a number of bill pending, including allowing states to "opt out" of the individual requirement to buy insurance [which was the core of Judge Vinson's decision], and repealing the Independent Payment Advisory Board. This little-publicized 18-member board is at the heart of the law's rationing of life-saving medical treatment. Starting in 2015 and every two years thereafter, the law directs this board to recommend ways to prevent private citizens from being allowed the choice of spending enough on health care to keep up with medical inflation. Based on the board's recommendations; the federal government is authorized to impose "quality" and "efficiency" measures on health care providers that will limit the medical treatments they are permitted to give their patients, even if the patients would choose to pay for it; see details and documentation at www.nrlc.org/HealthCareRationing/ObamaHCRationingBasicDOCUMENTATION.pdf. Please send your comments to daveandrusko@gmail.com. If you like, join those who are following me on Twitter at http://twitter.com/daveha. |