On Jan. 19, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a bill to overturn the Obama administration’s healthcare overhaul. The bill passed 245-189, with three Democrats joining a unanimous Republican caucus.
The measure that President Barack Obama signed into law last March commonly known as “Obamacare” extended healthcare coverage over a period of four years to tens of millions of uninsured Americans, provided billions of dollars in Medicare savings, and imposed taxes on the highest wage-earners, as well as healthcare companies. Yet according to several polling data aggregators such as RealClearPolitics, Rasmussen Reports, and Gallup, the majority of Americans support the repeal of Obamacare.
Speaker of the House John Boehner said the Obama administration’s healthcare overhaul bill would add nearly $1.5 trillion to the national deficit. “Let’s stop payment on this check before it can destroy more jobs and put us in an even deeper hole. Then, let’s work together to put in place reforms that lower costs without destroying jobs or bankrupting this government,” Boehner said in his floor speech.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R–Va.) said, “The American people deserve to see a vote in the Senate.” Conversely, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D–Calif.) said in her floor speech that the repeal is “harmful to the health of the American people, which is so damaging to our fiscal health as well.”
At this point, the bill, dubbed the “Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act,” is headed to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where it is unlikely to pass. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D–Nev.) said he will not bring it to the floor for a vote.
“I’m willing and eager to work with both Democrats and Republicans to improve the Affordable Care Act. But we can’t go backward,” Obama said in a Jan. 18 statement.
Staples Speaks
Several students at Staples have expressed visceral responses to the House’s vote to repeal Obamacare.
“It is frankly illogical and irresponsible to try and repeal [Obamacare], as it is just beginning to set America in the right direction, and potentially save lives and money for millions of citizens,” Jacob Meisel ’13 said.
On the other hand, Jacqueline Devine ’13 finds that the drawbacks of Obamacare outweigh the benefits.
“Obamacare should definitely be repealed. I do not believe in raising taxes for the upper class. In a time when jobs are hard to come by, I don’t think Obama should be eliminating any more jobs. Along with jobs being lost, losing big companies will impose an even higher unemployment rate. Also, Obama should consider how deeply in debt we already are at this point. I believe that all people should have healthcare, but taxes should not be raised in order for this to happen,” Devine said.
Caela McCann ’11, the student president of the Staples Junior State of America (JSA), finds that the repeal bill is a microcosm of the partisan tone of the nation.
“It really shows how we are in a period of divided government; how one bill passed in a Democratically-controlled congress will then be contested by the Republicans. It highlights hyperpartisanship, as well as one of the core issues with our government at the moment. Politics aside, I believe that it shows a fundamental problem that is greater than healthcare,” McCann said.
