Senate Fails to Repeal Health Care Law – Court Action Likely Next Step

The Senate failed to repeal the health care law by a vote of 47 to 51, which fell along party lines with all Republicans supporting it. The vote marked the first time the Republicans in the Senate tried to repeal the bill and comes on the heels of a successful effort in the House and new court challenges to the law. The Republican attempts to repeal the health care law may not be over; the GOP will likely target provisions of the law by attempting to cut off funding for key aspects. While the full repeal attempt failed, a separate vote passed with bipartisan support on repealing the IRS Form 1099 reporting requirement. The provision was included in last year’s health care law and requires businesses to send 1099s to the IRS and to any business from which they made purchases of goods or services equaling $600 or more a year. There is a separate bill in the House that would repeal the 1099 provision, and you can use the Legislative Action Center to write your Representative in support of the bill. The health care law took a significant blow this week when U.S. District Court Judge Roger Vinson ruled that the law violated the Constitution by requiring Americans to buy insurance.  Twenty-six states have challenged the law and want to halt implementation of pieces that apply to the states. While it may take more than a year to resolve this issue in the courts, the Supreme Court may be asked to quickly rule on the constitutionality of the heath care law. Virginia’s Attorney General has expressed interest in expediting the Supreme Court review; the Obama Administration has pledged to fight efforts to expedite review.  To view AGC’s most recent letter to the Senate regarding health care, click here. For more information, contact Jim Young at (202) 547-0133 or youngj@agc.org.