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Senate rejects bid to repeal healthcare law

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Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) speaks to the media on Capitol Hill in Washington January 20, 2010.

Credit: Reuters/Joshua Roberts

WASHINGTON | Wed Feb 2, 2011 7:56pm EST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's fellow Democrats in the Senate blocked a Republican bid on Wednesday to repeal his healthcare overhaul, a year-old law whose ultimate fate likely rests with the U.S. Supreme Court.

On a party-line vote of 51-47, the Senate rejected a Republican measure to rescind the law that aims to provide more than 30 million uninsured Americans with medical coverage while requiring nearly all to be insured or pay a fine. Sixty votes were needed to clear a procedural hurdle against repeal.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid scoffed at Republican efforts, saying: "They want to replace patients' rights with insurance companies' power. They want to replace health with sickness. They want to replace the promise of tomorrow with the pain of yesterday."

Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell countered: "The case against this bill is more compelling every day. Everything we learn tells us it was a bad idea. That it should be repealed and replaced. The courts say so. The American people say so."

The Senate voted two days after a federal judge struck down the 2010 law as unconstitutional, a ruling the Obama administration promptly announced it would appeal.

The Republican-led House of Representatives, in keeping a campaign vow, voted to repeal the healthcare law last month.

Senate rejection of the repeal effort means the law's fate will likely be decided by court challenges and eventually the U.S. Supreme Court, a process that could extend into next year.

A federal judge in Florida on Monday ruled that Congress overstepped its authority in requiring that nearly all Americans obtain insurance or pay a fine.

Ramifications of the new law for the health sector have been widespread, affecting Aetna Inc , WellPoint Inc and other health insurers as well as drugmakers, device companies and hospitals.

States, struggling to balance their books in the aftermath of the recent economic downturn, also face higher costs for the Medicaid health program for the poor.

Democrats say the law benefits people who had been unable to obtain coverage and ought to be maintained and improved.

HEARING HELD ON LAW'S CONSTITUTIONALITY

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday held the first congressional hearing on the constitutionality of the law.

Republican Senator Charles Grassley, a one-time participant in drafting the law who later withdrew from negotiations, said it was unclear what the Supreme Court may decide.

"What is clear is that if this law is constitutional, Congress can make Americans buy anything that Congress wants," Grassley said.

 
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Comments (51)
Trooth wrote:

I don’t think this was a wise move by the senators. This will be used against them in 2012. I would have let it ride through the Senate fully knowing that Obama could veto it.

Feb 02, 2011 8:24pm EST  --  Report as abuse
Bretfox wrote:

The votes have been recorded. If just three Democrats had done the right thing we would be one step closer to having this albatross removed from our necks. We now know who to target in 2012. If the Democrats did not get the message last November they will surely hear us in 2012 when we vote them out of office.

Feb 02, 2011 8:25pm EST  --  Report as abuse
ProofReader wrote:

Let’s see: the Republicans tried to push through an item they knew would be defeated. Too bad Henry Hyde is no longer alive, for if he was, they could claim victory and make statements such as “there will be more dragons to slay”.

Feb 02, 2011 8:30pm EST  --  Report as abuse

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