House Speaker Ryan Vows To Repeal ObamaCare

By Christine Kern, contributing writer

Ryan has made the repeal bill his top priority this year.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan has vowed to make the repeal of the Affordable Care Act his top priority when Congress reconvenes this year. According to The Hill, the repeal bill in the form of reconciliation would eliminate the most significant parts of ObamaCare. If the House passes the bill, President Barack Obama has 10 days to veto it and, according to the report, an attempt to override the veto would likely fail.

Reconciliation is a budget process that can only be used when a party controls both the House and the Senate and can be passed in the Senate with just 51 votes, according to the report. The measure has already been passed in the Senate in a 52-47 vote.

The Senate bill strengthened the previously-passed House bill, H.R. 3762, which also aimed at repealing the Affordable Care Act. The new bill specifically would revoke the federal government’s authority to run healthcare exchanges, end premium subsidies, and roll back Medicaid expansion.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has stressed Obama would veto any repeal bill that hits his desk, writing, “The Affordable Care Act is working and is fully integrated into an improved American healthcare system.”

“When we return in January, the House will put an ObamaCare repeal bill on the floor and pass it and put it on the president's desk,” Ryan said. However, according to The Wall Street Journal, the Republican-controlled Congress and the White House both have marked 2016 as a less ambitious legislative year than 2015.

Obama said at a news conference. “It's an election year, and obviously, a lot of the legislative process is going to be skewed by people looking over their shoulders, worrying about primaries, trying to position themselves relative to the presidential candidates. So that makes it harder. But, I think there are going to be a handful of areas where we can make real progress.”