Wednesday night, in a largely symbolic vote, the U.S. House of Representatives voted 245-189 to repeal the health care law that was signed last March.
While the nation is divided over this far-reaching legislation, the GOP effort to repeal this new law is futile. The Democrats still control both the Senate and the Oval Office, guaranteeing that the repeal will go nowhere.
The Senate has vowed not to act on the repeal of the health care bill. If for some miraculous reason the upper chamber did take up the repeal legislation and it passed, Obama would veto it.
Why did the vote occur last night then? The move was a nod to the Tea Party movement, which helped Republicans win big over Democrats in the midterm elections.
Regardless of party affiliation, many people agreed that the health insurance industry was not working for the average American.
The new health care law worked to change that. A number of popular provisions are in it and took effect last September.
Thanks to the new law, children under 19 will not be denied coverage because of preexisting conditions and people are able to stay on their parents’ insurance until age 26. Insurance companies are also not allowed to drop your coverage if you become sick.
These are all important things. They protect the average American. An outright repeal of this law and these provisions would be damaging.
Unfortunately, this is the discussion this country is having right now.
Rather than turning to constructive dialogue, as was pledged to after the tragic Tucson events, we have returned to the same partisan positions. Do we keep the health care law or do we repeal it? It depends on what your voter identification card says.
Republicans have vowed to replace the law, but that does not have a chance at happening for the same reason the repeal won’t become law.
Rather than an encore of partisan rancor, both sides should engage in substantial, productive talks to make this health care law better.
Issues surrounding the legislation’s effect on the deficit and job market must be addressed, as well as the government’s role in doctor-patient relationships.
Republicans and Democrats alike have pointed out legitimate concerns with the law. Adequate time and legislative responsibility demand that these issues are brought to the table.
If Republicans continue to deride the legislation as a “government takeover” and Democrats keep insisting that the Republicans are in bed with the insurance industry, they may as well not show up.
The same partisan rancor has returned. Unfortunately, the only way to overcome this is if both sides swallow their pride and look for a plausible solution that will control costs, expand coverage and reduce the deficit.
The current law may not be the answer, but if it wasn’t carefully examined before it was passed, we should start examining it now and make changes as we go.
We can only hope that things will change as voters tune out. It would be wrong to give attention and vote for officials who engage in partisan combat when we should be looking for a solution rather than a fight.
