Boehner says Obamacare should be on "fiscal cliff" table

After Mitt Romney lost on Election Day, it appeared that the health care law was here to stay. States are scrambling to meet federally-imposed deadlines to implement state exchanges and the administration announced coverage mandates. But House Speaker John Boehner signaled Tuesday that he is not giving up efforts to repeal the bill.

In an op-ed in the Cincinnati Enquirer, Boehner wrote that "we can't afford" the Affordable Care act, and said, "That's why I've been clear that the law has to stay on the table as both parties discuss ways to solve our nation's massive debt challenge."

Congress and the White House are involved in negotiations over the so-called "fiscal cliff." Spending cuts are a major component of the talks as Republicans are pushing for less spending in lieu of raising taxes. Boehner has spoken in general terms about his priorities for deficit reduction; this op-ed signals that health care is another element he wants thrown in the pot.

The Congressional Budget Office, however, has estimated that the cost of the main component of the health care law, the health insurance exchanges, will lower the government's share of health care costs because fewer people will be enrolled in the Medicaid program. Another CBO report says repealing the health care law would cost taxpayers $109 billion.

"The president's health care law adds a massive, expensive, unworkable government program at a time when our national debt already exceeds the size of our country's entire economy," Boehner wrote.

He says that since the courts have upheld the law and the presidential election reelected the president, Congress' role is "more important than ever."

Boehner also praised his home state of Ohio for choosing to opt out of the state-run exchange program. "I'm proud of our governor and lieutenant governor for taking this stand and resisting the federal takeover of health care in Ohio," he wrote, but Boehner did not mention that if a state opts out, like Ohio did, the federal government implements the exchange instead of the state, putting control in the hands of the federal government.

[Texasnotea]

People who have health care provided by the very people they want to deny health care! These republicans should all have their health care coverage stopped and when they retire give them a voucher for heath care and when that runs out, to heck with them!

[nearl451]

We just had an election. Obamacare won.

No agreement? That's OK. The sequester and the expiration of Bush Tax cuts are a good start on deficit reduction anyway (better than the political BS that both sides will come up with).

I figure it's worth about $500B in total per annum and about 10 years overdue.

[Verascity]

John (The Grim Weeper) Boehner is an idiot who's trying to maintain his influence in Washington. Watch him posture to impress the wingers.

[jimbom121]

Why would you add something that the CBO says reduces the deficit?

[marychgo]

Boehner (and some commenters here) CONTINUE to ignore the fact that the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office found that PPACA actually REDUCES the deficit over the next ten or twenty years, rather than increasing it. So "cutting Obamacare" would actually increase the national debt, not cut it. Way to attack the "fiscal cliff," Mr. Speaker!

[cydygitt2]

DAN666 replies: "I say we set up death panels for the old liberal dems who are for abortion....They want to kill babies for convenience"

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So danny boy -- is that YOUR IDEA of "christian," since it's not in the Bible?

I'm just glad you belong to a hateful MINORITY KKKlan in America, where only young white supremacists are allowed to live. LOL!

[cydygitt2]

FIBERGLASS3 says: "Boehner is correct. We need to complete the single payer option".

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That's exactly the problem with the short-sighted republiCONS, spending the last 2 years on 'trying' to repeal the PPACA, when they should have been spending that time improving upon it like adding SP-UHC, and fixing the rest of our fiscal problems.

[fiberglass3]

Couldn't agree more.

[cydygitt2]

FAKE_RANGER replies: "Guess what - at our age we can both forget any major health needs -- we ain't worth saving when we are no longer paying taxes"

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LOL! The oldest Americans are the beneficiaries of the vast majority of health needs and most expensive procedures. That's a fact, and with out aging population, that is why health care costs continue to climb!

[cydygitt2]

Boehner says Obamacare should be on "fiscal cliff" table

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Hey BONEHEAD -- put your salary, benefits and perks on the table first!

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

It's no coincidence that the lowest wages are paid in the red former confederacy RED STATES. You all are accustom to cheap labor still spoiled from your days of free slave labor. That's why they push non union low wage. So sad that red states residents still haven't caught on to the republican scam.

[GOP-R--Con-Men]

Yep, Slaves don't make wages and republicans support paying only enough for workers to survive in order to continue working to make big business record profits.