WASHINGTON, Jan. 8 (UPI) — As expected, President Barack Obama vetoed a House bill Friday calling for the repeal of parts of the Affordable Care Act and the defunding of Planned Parenthood.
House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., signed H.R. 3762, called the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, and sent it to the president’s desk Thursday, anticipating it would be vetoed. The budget bill passed the House along largely partisan lines, and Ryan offered it as a demonstration to voters what the Republican Party would do if it claimed the White House in November. All GOP presidential candidates favor the repeal of the Act colloquially known as Obamacare.
On Wednesday Ryan offered new data regarding the amount government would save with repeal, saying, “The Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act was originally slated to save taxpayers $474 billion. However, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office determined that it will actually reduce the deficit by $516 billion.”
In vetoing the bill, Obama noted the Affordable Care Act “includes a set of fairer rules and stronger consumer protections that have made health care coverage more affordable, more attainable, and more patient-centered. And it is working. About 17.6 million Americans have gained health care coverage as the law’s coverage provisions have taken effect.”
Pointing out the Republican Congress has “attempted to repeal or defund the Affordable Care act over 50 times,” Obama also defended Planned Parenthood, writing that “H.R. 3762 would limit access to healthcare for men, women, and families across the Nation, and would disproportionately impact low-income individuals.”
