By Susan Brinkmann, OCDS
Staff Journalist
By a strict party line vote of 51-47, the U.S. Senate voted against repeal of the Patient’s Protection and Affordable Care Act, setting the stage for new battles to come as conservatives set their sights on blocking funding for implementation of the unpopular measure.
According to the Washington Post, the vote was not unexpected with the GOP demanding outright repeal while Democrats favored replacing parts of the bill that many believe will burden state and federal budgets with massive new costs or involve excessive intrusion into the lives of Americans.
“There’s a narrative I’ve seen and read out there that this was somehow a futile act because Republicans didn’t have the votes to repeal Obamacare. But I have to tell you, these are the first steps in a long road that will culminate in 2012 whereby we will expose the flaws and the weaknesses in this legislation,” Sen. John Cornyn (Tex.) said at a news conference held by GOP leaders after Wednesday’s vote.
“Republican Party . . . if you want to repeal, then let’s go replace,” said Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski (D-Md.) in a floor speech. “I want to hear their ideas for replacement. I challenge them right here, right now, today, on this amendment.”
The two parties will now square off in the battle to deny the Obama administration the money it needs to implement parts of the law, and in measures that will strip specific provisions, such as some of the Medicare cuts.
A legal fight is also looming over the unpopular law, especially since a Florida judge ruled that the law’s pivotal individual mandate, which would force Americans to buy health care or pay a penalty, is unconstitutional. Legal experts say the bill is headed to the Supreme Court where it is highly possible that all or part of the law could be struck down.
“Certainly, it’s becoming more and more clear that there’s a real legal issue here, as compared to a year ago, when people said this was just frivolous and had no chance of succeeding,” Ilya Somin, a law professor at George Mason University, told the Post.
“The American people, the House of Representatives, 26 state attorneys general and all U.S. Senate Republicans have called for a repeal of the abortion-funding health care takeover law,” said Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council.
“We call on the Senate to put aside partisan differences and overturn this law that funds abortion with taxpayer dollars and puts bureaucrats between patients and their doctors.”
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