House slated to take another run at scrapping the health law

Jul 18 2013

Republican leaders in the House have scheduled votes Wednesday on bills that would delay implementation of the overhaul's employer and individual mandates. According to the Associated Press, these efforts mark the 38th time the GOP majority has tried to undo the law or major provisions.  

The Associated Press: House GOP Seek Delay In Health Care Provisions
House Republicans, politically emboldened by President Barack Obama's delay of a key requirement of his health care law, are taking another run at scrapping his signature domestic policy. The House has scheduled votes Wednesday to delay the law's individual and employer mandates, the 38th time the GOP majority has tried to eliminate, defund or scale back the program since Republicans took control of the House in January 2011 (Cassata, 7/16).

National Journal: House To Vote On Bills To Delay Key Parts of Obamacare
The House is set to vote Wednesday on two bills that would delay implementation of key pieces of the 2010 health reform law. Although the legislation isn't likely to go anywhere in the Democratic-controlled Senate-;and the White House has said it would veto the measures-;Wednesday's vote will reveal how many, if any, members believe that anything short of full repeal of the Affordable Care Act could damage their efforts to take the law down. Lawmakers will vote on two separate bills; one would delay the law's requirements for individuals to obtain health coverage and the other would postpone requirements for large employers to offer health insurance for their employees (Hollander, 7/16).

McClatchy: GOP To Obama: If You Can Delay Health Care, So Can We
Republicans will make another move Wednesday to damage the national health care law they derisively call Obamacare. This time, they're being aided by the champion of the measure, President Barack Obama. With Obama's recent move to postpone one part of the law as an opening, the Republican-ruled House of Representatives is expected to vote Wednesday to delay more key parts of the contentious measure before it can take full effect. The move is the latest in a sweeping legislative and political campaign to weaken the 2010 law and raise even more opposition in the eyes of an already skeptical nation, especially as it heads into 2014 elections that will decide control of the Congress and set the stage for the 2016 campaign for the White House (Kumar, 7/16).

Fox News: GOP-Controlled House To Vote Wednesday On Delaying Key Parts Of ObamaCare
The Republican-controlled House will vote Wednesday on delaying key parts of ObamaCare, the party's latest effort to dismantle the law amid distress signals from inside the administration. The lawmakers will vote on bills to delay the start of the law's separate employer and individual mandates, which respectively require smaller businesses and Americans to purchase insurance next year or face penalties. The Obama administration earlier this month delayed the start of the employer mandate, saying the decision was in response to business owners expressing concerns about the law's complex reporting requirements (7/17).

CBS New: House GOP Keeps Pressure On With Obamacare Delay Votes
With the clear intent of once again making Obamacare a campaign issue, House Republicans on Wednesday have scheduled a pair of votes on different elements of the health care law -- votes designed to put Democrats on the spot. With one vote, the GOP-led House will consider whether to delay the so-called "employer mandate" -- the requirement for businesses with 50 or more employees provide health care coverage or pay fines of $2,000 per employee. The House will also vote on whether to delay the "individual mandate," which requires most Americans to acquire health insurance or pay a fine (Condon, 7/17).

CNN: Most House Democrats Expected To Oppose GOP Obamacare Bills
Most House Democrats are expected to oppose two House Republican bills on Wednesday that would delay key provisions of Obamacare, the number two House Democrat told reporters Tuesday. … [House Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer] called the Republican bill to delay the employer mandate to provide health care insurance "redundant" because it "doesn't do anything beyond what the president has already done." (Walsh, 7/16).

The Hill: President Threatens To Veto GOP's ObamaCare Bills To Delay Mandates
President Obama is threatening to veto Republican bills that would delay the healthcare reform law's employer and individual mandates. Obama declared the employer bill "unnecessary" -; the administration announced the same delay on July 2 -; and said the individual bill is harmful to consumers in a Statement of Administration Policy issued Tuesday (Viebeck, 7/16).

The Hill: Small Businesses Lobby To 'Score' Bill Delaying ObamaCare Mandate
The leading lobbying group for small businesses will score lawmakers' votes on a bill to delay the individual mandate in President Obama's healthcare law. The National Federation of Independent Business said it would consider the vote a "key vote" as it prepares its ratings of lawmakers' support for small businesses (Baker, 7/16).

Politico: 25 Unforgettable Obamacare Quotes
The House will vote on bills Wednesday that would delay both the employer and the individual mandate in Obamacare. POLITICO looks back at some of the memorable quotes from the past four years of Washington warfare over the health law (7/16).