The House of Representatives passed a law this morning that would see the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, be defunded. The law, which is designed to keep the United States government running past September 30 in the face of budget difficulties, was passed by the Republican-controlled House and must now move onto the Senate.
The Senate is currently held by the Democratic Party. That makes this morning’s vote meaningless in practical terms. The language that would see Obamacare defunded by this law is likely to be removed by the Democratic controlled house of Congress. The bill is expected to hit the Senate in the coming days.
Obamacare controversy
The Affordable Care Act, most commonly called Obamacare, was one of the most controversial piece of law to pass through Congress during the first term of President Barack Obama. The law provides a mandate that requires all Americans to be covered by some kind of health insurance.
The House of Representatives, which has been controlled by the Republican Party since 2010, has tried several different ways of stopping the program from coming into effect. The House voted to repeal the act for the 41st time earlier in September and the measure passed. Because of the structure of the American legislature, several endorsed repeals of Obamacare have not amounted to anything.
Obamacare takes hold
The major provisions of Obamacare will become visible in the United States in October when health care exchanges open across the country in earnest. The new exchanges are the markets where ordinary citizens can go to find health insurance quotes. The measure to defund Obamacare is unlikely to effect the initiation of those exchanges.
Unless there is some kind of revolt in the Democratic Party, the move to defund Obamacare will not survive the Senate floor. The good new for Americans is that this morning’s law will likely keep the country’s government running through December 15th.
