House passes ACA repeal: 5 things to know

The U.S. House of Representatives passed the Affordable Care Act repeal bill Wednesday as expected, sending it to President Barack Obama's desk.

Here are five things to know about the vote, what the measure includes and what the repercussions will be.

1. The reconciliation bill, called the Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, passed 240-181, according to The Hill. One Democrat — Rep. Collin Peterson (Minn.) — voted for it, likely due to his pro-life views, according to the report. Three Republicans — Reps. Bob Dold (Ill.), John Katko (N.Y.) and Richard Hanna (N.Y.) — voted against the measure, as they represent swing districts, according to The Hill.

2. If signed into law, the measure would repeal some of the central pillars of the healthcare reform law, including Medicaid expansion, federal subsidies for health insurance, a host of taxes and individual and employer mandates, according to The Hill. The repeal of Medicaid expansion and the federal subsidies would be delayed for two years so Republicans could implement an alternative plan, according to the report. The bill would also cut one year of federal funding to Planned Parenthood, and instead provide $235 million in funds to community health centers.

3. President Obama's office has already indicated he will veto the repeal bill and uphold the reform law, which has helped about 16 million people find health coverage.

4. Republicans have already tried more than 60 times since 2011 to repeal the ACA, but this vote marks the first time the House was able to send the law to President Obama's desk. The vote is symbolic for Republicans going into a presidential election year. "Those Republicans who were saying the fight to repeal this disastrous law was over were proven wrong this afternoon. This bill would repeal the worst parts of Obamacare and save taxpayers more than $500 billion over the next decade. Today's vote is a promise of what we can accomplish with the right person in the White House," said Josh Withrow, legislative affairs manager of FreedomWorks, a conservative advocacy group.

5. Democrats continued to support the ACA, pointing to the fact Republicans have so far been unable to provide an alternative. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) even likened the demonstrative repeal vote to eating nachos instead of hitting the gym. "Normally doing additional reps builds muscle mass. But the one muscle Republicans aren't exercising is their brain," she said during discussion of the bill, according to The Hill.

"Put down the political equivalent of that giant plate of nachos and exercise the hard job of governing," she said, according to the report.

 

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