Relieved Republicans muscled their health care bill through the House today, taking their biggest step toward dismantling the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare, since President Donald Trump took office.
The Associated Press reports Republicans won passage only after overcoming their own divisions that nearly sank the measure six weeks ago.The measure, known as the American Health Care Act, skirted through the House by a thin 217-213 vote, as all voting Democrats and a group of mostly moderate Republican holdouts voted no. The bill now heads to the Senate, where its fate is uncertain.
A defeat would have been politically devastating for Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin. Instead, jubilant Republicans, celebrating what they hope will soon be the demise of Obamacare, sang the pop song Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye as the end of the voting neared.
In a statement issued immediately after the vote, Republican Rep. Ralph Abraham, a medical doctor from Alto, Louisiana, lauded the bill’s passage, which he said took a lot of work.
“House Republicans have kept our promise to provide the American people with relief from Obamacare’s skyrocketing premiums, unaffordable deductibles and lack of choices in their health care decisions by passing the American Health Care Act,” Abraham said. “The AHCA will get Washington out of the exam room, give flexibility to states, preserve reliable coverage for people with pre-existing conditions, and provide the patient-centered health care system Americans deserve.”
Republicans have promised to erase President Barack Obama’s health law since its 2010 enactment, but this year—with Trump in the White House and full control of Congress—is their first real chance to deliver. But polls have shown a public distaste for the repeal effort and a gain in popularity for Obama’s statute, and Democrats—solidly opposing the bill—said Republicans would pay a price in next year’s congressional elections.
“You vote for this bill, you’ll have walked the plank from moderate to radical,” said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-California, warning Republicans that voters would punish them. “You will glow in the dark on this one.”
