House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, pledged a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act on Sunday, saying that it should be "ripped out by its roots" and that Republicans were unwilling to work with and revise the current law.
"This has to be ripped out by its roots. This is government taking over the entire health insurance industry," he said in an interview on CBS' Face the Nation that aired on Sunday.
The ACA was upheld by the Supreme Court on Thursday, leading Republicans to vow to repeal it in full. The House has a symbolic repeal vote planned for July 11, a move that will never make it through the Senate. Republicans have begun to suggest other options for overturning the law, with Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., stating on Sunday that the law could be repealed through reconciliation if Republicans take back the Senate and the White House this fall.
There has been much talk of repeal since the Supreme Court's decision, but little more than had already been said by way of replacing the law. Boehner was unable to give many specifics on what Republicans would do differently if they were to start from scratch on health care, offering only allowing citizens to purchase insurance across state lines and allowing businesses to pool together to purchase insurance as alternate options.
Ultimately, Boehner said, the first step is repeal, after which "we can have a common sense debate about which of these provisions ought to stay and which ought to go," he said.
Get the latest news and analysis delivered to your inbox. Sign up for National Journal's morning alert, Wake-Up Call, and afternoon newsletter, The Edge. Subscribe here.
Leave A Comment