Yes… the House of Representatives voted 249 to 189 to repeal ObamaCare, but Harry Reid has already said that he has no plans to bring the same bill to vote in the Senate, but Mitch McConnell says they will keep working at it until they do get a vote on repeal.
Please sign John McCain’s Repeal and Replace Obamacare petition below:
My Friends,
Today, the House of Representatives voted in favor of repealing Obamacare, bringing us one step closer to overturning the government takeover of healthcare that was signed into law last year.
The repeal bill will come to the U.S. Senate very soon, giving us very little time to take action in order to pass the repeal. Before the House vote occurred, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid and the other Senate Democrats vowed to block any repeal in the Senate.
Since supporters of the bill hold a majority in the Senate, we must act quickly and decisively to send a message that a majority of Americans support repealing this healthcare takeover by the government.
That's why I am launching Country First PAC's "Repeal and Replace Obamacare" petition, and I ask that you take a moment today to follow this link and sign this petition.
We must join together to show Senators from both parties that support for this repeal is strong. If Obamacare is not repealed and replaced, it will bankrupt our nation through tax increases and expensive burdens on small businesses. With an estimated price tag of $2.6 trillion over 10 years, this law will leave our children and grandchildren with even more debt. This amounts to generational theft and I pledge to do everything in my power to gather support for the repealing and replacing Obamacare.
But I need to know that you stand with me and the other conservatives in the U.S. Senate. Your signature on my "Repeal and Replace Obamacare" petition will send a strong message to the Senate Democrats that you are opposed to government-run healthcare and support repealing the bill. A one-size-fits-all government takeover of our healthcare system is not what our nation needs and I know you agree with me. This is your opportunity to exercise your rights as a citizen, speaking out for our shared values of smaller government.
The work we do in the final hours before the vote will make all the difference, so I hope you will follow this link right away to add your name to our petition.
After signing the petition, you will have the opportunity to make a contribution to Country First and I ask that you give as generously as you can so we can continue to elect candidates who share our values and priorities. We must work toward electing a majority in the U.S. Senate and expand our majority in the U.S. House.
Your response and support is greatly appreciated.
Sincerely, 
John McCain
Chairman, Country First PAC
P.S. With the Senate scheduled to take up the Obamacare repeal bill next week, I am working to repeal the bill. But I need your support to show my colleagues that support for this repeal remains strong in every corner of the country. Please sign my "Repeal and Replace Obamacare" petition today by following this link. Thank you.
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HOUSE APPROVES OBAMACARE REPEAL
In a vote of 245-189, Republicans were victorious in passing a measure to repeal President Obama’s signature health care overhaul law.
The final vote tally includes one no vote — Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., who continues her recovery. In addition, three Democrats voted with a solid Republican voting bloc to repeal the law — Ross (AR), McIntyre (NC) and Boren (OK).
The repeal measure now moves to the Senate where is faces a steep uphill battle against a Democratic majority.
The Associated Press has a full re-cap of the day’s debate:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Eager to honor their campaign pledge, Republicans pushed legislation to repeal the nation’s year-old health care law toward House passage Wednesday despite implacable opposition in the Senate and a veto threat from President Barack Obama.
Passage would clear the way for the second phase of the “repeal and replace” promise that victorious Republicans made to the voters last fall. GOP officials said that in the coming months, congressional committees will propose changes to the existing legislation, calling for elimination of a requirement for individuals to purchase coverage, for example, and recommending curbs on medical malpractice lawsuits.
Republicans also intend to try to reverse many of the changes Democrats made to Medicare Advantage, the private alternative to the traditional government-run health care program for seniors.
Like the repeal bill itself, these other measures will require Senate approval and a presidential signature to take effect, and the prospect is for months of maneuvering on the issue.
For many first-term Republican lawmakers, this day was one they had long waited for, a chance to speak and then vote on the House floor against a bill they had campaigned for months to repeal.
Rep. Jeff Duncan, R-S.C. said the legislation produced by Obama and congressional Democrats was a “job-killing, socialistic” approach to health care. Rep. Frank Guinta of New Hampshire, who defeated a Democratic incumbent last fall, said it was misguided, needing repeal.
“The American people have soundly, soundly rejected the Democrats’ government takeover of health care,” said Rep. Sandy Adams of Florida. Rep. Steve Southerland, also of Florida, said the law imposes a crushing tax burden on businesses, and he predicted “1.6 million jobs will be lost by 2014 due to this mandate” to require many businesses to provide coverage for employees. Both Floridians won their seats by turning out Democratic incumbents.
“This is not symbolic. This is why we were sent here,” added Rep. Michelle Bachmann, of Minnesota, a third term conservative with strong support among tea party activists.
On the short end of the vote, Democrats challenged Republican claims and highlighted politically popular elements of the bill that would be wiped out if repeal took effect.
Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., accused some Republicans of “the height of hypocrisy” by voting to repeal a vast expansion of health care at the same time they had signed up for coverage for their families through a government-organized program available to lawmakers.
Rep. Frank Pallone, D-N.J., said that despite claims of employment loss, the economy had added jobs in each of the past 10 months.
In one of the most animated speeches of two days of debate, Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., said repeal would return power to insurance companies. “Has anybody, any family in America, any single mother, any spouse, any child, any grandparent met a more bureaucratic system than the American health insurance system? There is no more bureaucratic system.”
In the Senate, Majority Leader Harry Reid has said the legislation will not see the light of day there, although Republicans will seek ways to force a vote.
The law faces another challenge, well beyond the reach of Obama’s veto pen. Several lawsuits have been filed, and while some judges have upheld the legislation, one recently ruled it was unconstitutional to require individuals to purchase insurance. The Supreme Court is widely expected to have the final word.
In the meantime, Republicans clearly relished the day.
The Obama administration has made a major effort in recent days to emphasize parts of the bill that have met with public approval, including one that permits children to age 26 to remain on their parents’ policies if they do not have on-the-job coverage of their own. Democrats also argue that repeal would short-circuit other changes yet to take effect, including a ban on the insurance industry’s practice of denying coverage or charging sharply higher premiums on the basis of a pre-existing medical condition.
Republicans intend to address the same issues with legislation they say they will bring to the House floor in the coming months, according to officials who have been involved in discussions on the issue, but no details were immediately available.
Last year, for example, the Republicans proposed a 10-year, $25 billion program to help states fund programs in which high-risk individuals could receive affordable coverage.
GOP leaders are working on the assumption that the repeal legislation will not become law, and they intend to draft future bills as changes to the structure that Obama and Democrats put into place.
On one point, they conceded no change was warranted. Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., told reporters on Tuesday seniors would be permitted to keep the $250 they have been promised to help defray the cost of drugs under the Medicare prescription benefit.
The legislation Obama signed last year was sweeping in its scope.
The Congressional Budget Office said at the time that when fully enacted, it would spread coverage to tens of millions who now lack it and – in a forecast rejected by Republicans – reduce federal deficits over the next decade.
Beginning in 2014, millions of Americans would be required to carry health insurance, whether through an employer, a government program, or their own purchase. New insurance marketplaces called exchanges would open in each state, enabling individuals and small businesses to pick from menus of private plans that met government standards. Federal subsidies would help defray the costs.
House Repeals Obamacare 245-189
After a heated midterm election, the Republican-led House easily passed legislation to repeal the nation's sweeping health care law.
The vote was 245-189. There were four Democrats that voted for repeal.
Overturning the law was a major campaign plank for Republicans in
the 2010 elections, and many of the House's nearly 100 new lawmakers promised to repeal the law that was pushed by President Obama and congressional Democrats.
House Speaker John Boehner said the law would add nearly $1.5 trillion to the deficit and stifle the growth of some small businesses, which are required under the law to provide health insurance to employees or face penalties. A key issue for Republicans is that the law requires all Americans to have health insurance.
"Let's stop payment on this check before it can destroy more jobs and put us in an even deeper hole," Boehner said. "Then let's work together to put in place reforms that lower costs without destroying jobs or bankrupting this government."
Democrats failed in their procedural attempt to send the repeal bill back to committee for a discussion. Meanwhile, House Republicans are already preparing for four House committees to take the next step in the repeal effort and figure out ways to change the law.
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius reminded Americans that "this vote does not change the law" and that her department will continue to implement its provisions.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., has vowed to block the measure, and Obama has threatened to veto it.
Reid denounced the House's repeal vote as a political stunt.
"This is nothing more than partisan grandstanding at a time when we should be working together to create jobs and strengthen the middle class," he said in a statement today.
Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., said the House was not engaged in a stunt. "This is not symbolic. This is why we were sent here," said Bachmann, a favorite of the small-government Tea Party movement.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., challenged Reid and Senate Democrats to show their votes and debate the measure if they are so confident of stopping the repeal effort.
"The American people deserve a full hearing," Cantor said this morning. "They deserve to see this legislation go to the Senate for a full vote."
By Charles Dharapak, AP
Obama said he's willing to work with both Democrats and Republicans to improve the law, but "we can't go backward."
The only surprise in Wednesday's vote was how many Democrats would support the repeal effort.
In the end, Democrats Dan Boren of Oklahoma, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina and Mike Ross of Arkansas were the only Democrats to join 242 Republicans to vote for the repeal legislation.
One issue key to the repeal debate is how much the law costs and the impact overturning it would have on the deficit. USA TODAY's Kelly Kennedy reports Republicans say the law will add $701 billion to the deficit while Democrats say repealing the measure will cost $230 billion.
Yesterday, Cantor sought to ease concerns from seniors who might think they would have to return $250 they received under the law to help pay for prescription drug costs. Democrats such as Rep. Ed Markey of Massachusetts have said throughout the repeal debate that seniors could be among those affected the most by overturning the law.
Shortly after the law was passed last year, about 2.8 million recipients of Medicare who have a gap in their prescription drug coverage (known as the doughnut hole) received $250 checks to help them defray the cost of medicines.
Asked yesterday whether Republicans would seek to have that money returned, Cantor said no.
"If a repeal bill passes ... the intention is not to require seniors to return the $250 checks they received," Cantor said at his weekly news briefing.
USAToday (Contributing: Associated Press)
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