GOP doubles down on health care repeal promise

(CBS News) Now that the Supreme Court has upheld the Affordable Care Act, the Republican party is doubling down on its promise to repeal the law.

The ruling, the GOP hopes, will increase voter opposition to the law, spur financial donors to write a few more checks, and ultimately turn out more Republican voters in November. The party is already touting numbers to prove the financial aspect of the plan is working.

And should anyone doubt the GOP's sincerity about its repeal efforts, they can look toward Republican-led states where leaders are still refusing to implement the law.

On CBS This Morning Friday, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said the House would vote to repeal the law on July 11. The vote will be essentially symbolic, since the Democratic-led Senate would never follow suit, and President Obama would obviously never sign the repeal. But Cantor said that the continued debate over the health care law is "all about this election and whether this law is going to go forward or not... Mitt Romney will be the one that will, frankly, get the health care that most people want back on track."

Health care is hardly the most important issue for voters at this point, but Louisiana's Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal said Friday that the Supreme Court ruling is bringing the law back into public consciousness. He said he expects opposition to the law -- which polls show is already high -- will now increase.

"Reality's going to dawn on people," he said on a conference call with reporters. "The American people did not want or approve of Obamacare back then [when it passed], and they certainly don't now." Because of the court ruling, he continued, "People are actually thinking about it, focused on it."

Supreme Court upholds health care mandate
Complete Coverage: Health Care

The fierce opposition drove Republicans to the polls in 2010, and yesterday's ruling prompted them to open their wallets. Mitt Romney's presidential campaign reported at 8:30 a.m. ET Friday that in the last 24 hours, it had raised $4.3 million with 43,000 donations online "from voters who have a renewed sense of energy to repeal and replace this bad law."

Repealing the law is an easy promise for Republicans to make, but it wouldn't be an easy promise to keep. Virginia's Republican Gov. Bob McDonnell insisted on a conference call with reporters Friday that Romney has been "unequivocal" in stating that repealing the law would be a "top priority."

"On day one he would do everything he could administratively to gut Obamacare," he said.

As for an actual repeal, Republicans argue they can pull it off if they win the White House and both chambers Congress in November. There's no way Republicans could win the 60 Senate votes that would be needed to overcome a Democratic filibuster, but some contend the GOP could use some legislative maneuvering -- through a process called reconciliation -- to get around that, at least to repeal much of the law.

Furthermore, Jindal said Friday, Democrats will want to join Republicans by that point, since it will be clear the health care law is a loser politically. "I predict you'll have many Democrats from swing states that will also vote with the new majorities on repealing Obamacare," he said.

At least one Democrat, North Dakota Senate candidate Heidi Heitkamp, responded to the Supreme Court ruling by pointing out the positive parts of the law but also saying she'd work with Republicans to "fix the bad pieces."

"There are good things in the health care bill, like keeping insurance companies from dropping people for pre-existing conditions, closing the Medicare Donut Hole, and allowing parents to keep their children covered until they turn 26," said Heitkamp. "Moving forward, I'll work with both parties to control costs, keep the good pieces intact and fix the bad pieces, like the individual mandate."

Jindal said he would do everything he can to stop the law in his state.

"We refuse to set up the exchange," Jindal said, referring to the state-based health insurance marketplace every state is expected to establish by 2014. (They are also expected to have a blueprint for it by November 16 of this year.) If the states do not set up the exchanges, the Department of Health and Human Services will do it for them.

"We're not going to start setting up Obamacare," the governor continued. "I absolutely believe [Romney] will be elected in November and one of his first actions will be to repeal and replace this law."

McDonnell refused to say whether Virginia would opt into the health law's expansion of Medicaid. The expansion was originally required for states that wanted to keep Medicaid going forward, but the Supreme Court said states could opt in or out.

"We're going to evaluate that," he said. "Frankly, the federal government has been both slow and unclear in interpreting this monstrosity passed."

As they continue their calls for repeal, Republicans are seizing on the Supreme Court's ruling that the most controversial part -- the individual mandate -- amounts to a tax. The Republican National Committee on Friday released a video compiling instances in which Mr. Obama said the mandate wasn't a tax. The issue could be problematic for both Mr. Obama and Romney, since Romney also passed a mandate as governor of Massachusetts, but the GOP is keeping up the attack.

"President Obama said three years ago it's not a tax... that turned out to be false," McDonnell said. "More entitlements, less accountability -- that's the Obama record."

[notreich]

Romney says he will repeal "Obama-care." That would be interesting because at that point he would have to take specific action to say: no, people with pre-existing conditions, you can be denied coverage. And no, seniors, that donut hole of prescription drug coverage will not be closed. And no, parents you won't be able to keep your kids on your coverage until they are 26. And no, Medicare people, you won't be covered for a yearly preventive wellness physical. And the underlying principle that people with insurance should not be able to be dropped by an insurance company for any reason they choose and that nobody should be forced to bankruptcy from medical bills? Nah! You will go back to being dropped on a whim and may get thrown into bankruptcy. They will have to do that specifically and not just go around wailing and gnashing their teeth and calling the Affordable Care Act "Obama-Care." So good luck selling that Romney, if you get in there.

[gca2]

I recently saw a speech from Mitt Romney in which he stated what he would like to see as a replacement for the Obama health plan-- if it were repealed.

Romney then went on to list what is in the current plant WITHOUT the hated mandate.
So-- if he is seriously thinking this way-- how are we going to pay for the Romney plan????
The way I see it is that whatever we spend, we need to find a way to pay for it.
In the case of the Obama health care plan it is the hated mandate.

Any other ideas---- other than "staying the course" we are on now.... unless people don't mind declaring bankruptcy after trying to deal with medical bills that are spiraling out of control.
The mandate payments will be chump change if that takes place.

[sjc_1]

The Republican Congress refused to renew Pay as you Go in 2003 and that is when all the deficits started to grow once again. No one should believe that the GOP is fiscally conservative. Reagan tripled the national debt and G.W. Bush doubled it from $5.6 trillion to $11.3 trillion, his last budget for 2008-2009 ended up $1.46 trillion in deficit.

[Gettysburger]

You will all be very surprised in November. A sleeping giant has been awakened.............Remember 2010? Multiply that times 50.

[RollotheNorman]

LOL. Your business is stand up, right?

[realist2010]

I love conservative crystal ball predictions. Remember 2008?

[StephenKriz]

What the right-wing knuckle-draggers don't seem to realize is that: (1) they are paying for the uninsured to have access to healthcare right now - except they are paying for the most expensive way to deliver it and that is when people are already extremely sick and present at the emergency room, and (2) that to do nothing about healthcare - NOTHING - is much more expensive than Obamacare. I don't think the Affordable Care Act was a good piece of legislation - we should have just implemented national health care like every other civilized country on the face of the planet - but it is far better than the inefficient, privatized system of piracy we have now, that allows fat, lazy CEOs of health insurance companies to make millions from our insurance premiums, while 30 million of our fellow Americans go without health care!

[sjc_1]

Wow, there was a well educated and informed retort.

[kenzwilhelm]

I was told by a friend that something called "************" is offering health insurance plans starting just $1 a day. That is some thing we all can agree.

[Nocults]

That is "Bend me over in the clover", Inc.
Founded by Bishop Romney.

[BurgersBytes]

Since when is one Supreme Court Justice an expert on what is a tax and what isn't? Is it because he saw that the IRS was involved?

Sooner or later, EVERYBODY is going to need healthcare, just like Medicare and Social Security EXCEPT if you are RICH. So take care of yourself with that in mind and pay your fair share! Freeloading the system will NOT make you rich or everybody would be doing it already!

[Nocults]

Since when is paying for the Interstate Highway system, that President Eisenhower taxed the rich to pay for, something that people couldn't have paid for on their own.

FREELOADERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[sjc_1]

The highest tax rate under Ike was 90% and he was a Republican. During his 8 years we were not running deficits, we got the highway system the middle class was strong.

[raptor-022]

In 2008, over 88 percent of Americans agreed our health care system was in desperate need of reform. President Obama put forward a plan not to create single payer Medicare system for all (as his progressive base, including myself, wanted) but to fix the crisis of runaway costs and 37 million uninsured Americans by bolstering the private insurance market with the individual mandate.

It was not accidental that this centerpiece of his plan originated in conservative think tanks and was supported by, among others, Senator John McCain during his run for president. President Obama went to pains to present a bipartisan solution to our health care crisis.

Republicans? They did an ideological about-face, declared their wrath against the individual mandate and voted in a block against the Affordable Care Act. Conservatives have been trying to use health care reform as a political football ever since.

Chief Justice Roberts' vote is so striking precisely because it bucks the recent trend of conservatives contorting their own past beliefs and principles to attack President Obama in any way possible.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/06/28/chief-justice-roberts-does-right-thing-on-obamacare/#ixzz1zE0ALfkj

[sjc_1]

Well put, President Obama was for a Public Option but compromised for a way that was favored by the GOP. Now they are against it after they were for it. The GOP says that the President has not reached out and the DNC says that he compromised too much. I think he got it about right for now.

[raptor-022]

fiberglass3 June 29, 2012 2:05 PM EDT
"Kudos to Justice John Roberts for having the courage of his convictions and stepping up to the plate to make a difference in this country."

"John Roberts is a fine example of courage and integrity."




Not only that, but Chief Justice Roberts, whom the right-wing is now attacking vociferously, announced in the Majority opinion, that he is for PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY -- something conservative 'used' to promote, before they became partisan hacks!

[raptor-022]

And from fox news, of all places:

Chief Justice Roberts does the right thing on ObamaCare

The individual mandate in the Affordable Care Act aka "ObamaCare" was always, clearly constitutional -- so much so that conservatives, recall, were not only the ones who came up with the idea in the first place but generally scoffed at legal challenges when they first raised.

"It's become just a very partisan battle cry on behalf of an argument which a few years ago was thought to be completely bogus," said Charles Fried, President Ronald Reagan's Solicitor General in Supreme Court cases 1985 to 1989.

It's one thing to not like a law. It's another to suggest that the highest court in the land should overturn centuries of precedent, not to mention the clear tax and commerce power enshrined by our Founders in the Constitution, in order to serve a partisan political agenda.

In a recent survey conducted by Bloomberg News, 19 of 21 constitutional law scholars - across political affiliations - agreed that the individual mandate in health care reform is constitutional. Thankfully, conservative Chief Justice Roberts joined the majority decision and ruled that, whether he personally likes it or not, Congress has the power to mandate health insurance coverage.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/06/28/chief-justice-roberts-does-right-thing-on-obamacare/#ixzz1zDz3jlVl

[gatbooty]

remember this, the GOP is sponsored by the Drug & HCare Industry, they will keep the Insurance companies & the banks feed with this TAX. if anyone is stupid enough to think Romney will change anything your fools....look at who is sponsoring him, Hcare Ins. companies, Drug Companies & the Banks that your tax moneies will feed into....The IRS is a private entity..it was created to harrass you for dough to feed the FEDERAL RESERVE, the FEDERAL RESERVE decides what moneies to give to run the government, not the other way around.

[raptor-022]

Not only is the GOP doubling down on their health care repeal promise, but their old promise of REPLACE is suddenly gone, since they have absolutely nothing to REPLACE it with, nor do they want health care reform to lower costs for Americans!

[raptor-022]

Americans Issue Split Decision on Healthcare Ruling
June 29, 2012

PRINCETON, NJ -- Americans are sharply divided over Thursday's Supreme Court decision on the 2010 healthcare law, with 46% agreeing and 46% disagreeing with the high court's ruling that the law is constitutional.

Democrats widely hail the ruling, most Republicans pan it, and independents are closely divided (with 45% agreeing with the decision and 42% disagreeing with the SCOTUS decision).

http://www.gallup.com/poll/155447/Americans-Issue-Split-Decision-Healthcare-Ruling.aspx