As the battle continues over Obama's historic overhaul of the U.S.
healthcare system, many think that while tweaks to the law are likely, a
full repeal of the law is not. Everyone is wondering the direction that
America will move now that Republicans control the House of
Representatives once more, and naturally many people are concerned about
the healthcare law that many significant Republicans have promised to
eliminate.
National Public Radio's (NPR's) Julie Rovner talked to Morning Edition
host Steve Inskeep about some things that Republicans might do to tweak
the law. Rovner said that the chances of a full-blown repeal are
"probably zero," because Democrats still control the Senate and the
White House. Furthermore, if Republicans try to repeal the law, they
risk losing support the longer they wait. Although polls have repeatedly
demonstrated that the law, as a whole, is unpopular in this country,
Rovner thinks that when people experience specific provisions of the
law, like being allowed to keep their adult children on their healthcare
plans, they will warm to it and be unwilling to lose the benefits of the
law just because it has some flaws.
Rovner anticipates a more selective Republicans may be able to "hack out
parts of bill they don't like and leave the rest," she said, but
probably not the major parts, like covering people and making sure
insurance companies "play right in the market."
Rovner pointed to a potential tactic available to Republicans, which is
to "drag people who are trying to implement this bill in the Department
of Health and Human Services up to Capitol Hill to testify ? every week,
probably," since the GOP will chair the House committees. The Wall
Street Journal also commented on the possibilities of a now-Republican
House to block funding for implementation of parts of the overhaul, like
the establishment of state insurance exchanges.
In an optimistic conclusion, Rovner said, "(T)hey might actually work
together and fix what needs to be fixed."
So far, three states have decided to hold a vote for amendments to their
constitutions to block a federal health insurance mandate. The
Associated Press reported the following as of Wednesday morning:
Arizona
2236 of 2239 precincts reporting - 99 percent
Yes, 703,280 - 55 percent
No, 566,914 - 45 percent
Colorado
2824 of 3246 precincts reporting - 87 percent
Yes, 738,444 - 47 percent
No, 826,860 - 53 percent
Oklahoma
100 percent of precincts reporting
Yes, 638,712 - 65 percent
No, 348,039 - 35 percent