The House recently passed (and President Obama promptly vetoed) legislation by a 240-181 vote that would have repealed much of The Affordable Care Act (ACA) and defund Planned Parenthood for one year.
Though the President vetoed the measure, Republicans have touted the vote as an important step toward repealing the ACA since this was the first occasion they were able to get a repeal bill through the Senate, where members of the Democratic Party had filibustered previous attempts. The Senate passed the bill by using a fast-track process known as reconciliation that under special circumstances allows a bill to pass with a simple majority of 50 votes, rather than the 60 usually needed (the Democratic-led Senate passed the ACA in 2010 through this reconciliation process.)
Had the bill passed into law, it would have repealed central elements of the ACA, including the expansion of Medicaid, insurance premium subsidies, individual and employer mandates, and a range of taxes, including those on medical devices and high-cost health insurance plans. The language of the bill delayed these measures until 2018, to give Republicans time to put a replacement plan in place. The bill would also have cut off federal funding to Planned Parenthood for one year, instead providing $235 million in extra funding for community health centers, which Republicans say could fill the gap left by Planned Parenthood. (See here for more details.)
Impact for NextGen Healthcare clients: Congress will be unable to override President Obama’s veto, so there will be no practical impact for now. However, by demonstrating the ability to pass an ACA repeal bill with fewer than 60 votes in the Senate through this reconciliation process, Republicans have shown what could be possible if the 2016 elections yield a Republican President and majorities in both Houses of Congress. This has potential budgetary and staffing impacts for our Planned Parenthood and community health center clients.