House Votes to Repeal 0bamacare, 6 More States Challenge HR 3590

Even though it's likely to languish in the Senate, the newly elected Republicans of the 112th Congress made good on a promise that many of them campaigned on.

WASHINGTON—The Republican-led House voted Wednesday to repeal the health-care overhaul that is a signature achievement of President Barack Obama, in a largely symbolic move that made good on a GOP election promise but left uncertain what the party would offer as an alternative.

The vote was 245-189 in favor of repeal, with three Democrats joining the entire Republican caucus in the majority. That compared with 34 House Democrats who voted in March 2010 against enacting the law.

Despite Wednesday's vote, the law is all but certain to remain in place for now. The Democratic-controlled Senate doesn't plan to take up the repeal measure, and even if it were to clear that chamber, Mr. Obama would veto it.

Even if it doesn't pass the Senate, I would prefer that it went up for a vote to see who voted for and against it leading up to the 2012 elections. Although much of the public and a number of economists support a full repeal, that won't be likely as long as Obama is in the White House. However, the current congress can delay or halt implementation of key provisions of Obamacare by defunding agencies that are tasked with implementing and enforcing portions of the law.

There are also a number of legal obstructions facing the healthcare law, with at least 6 additional states joining in a lawsuit against Obamacare this week. Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Wyoming, Wisconsin and Ohio joined the lawsuit on Tuesday, bringing the total number of states challenging HR 3590 to 26.

Last month, a federal judge in Virgina struck down a key component- the government mandate to purchase insurance- as unconstitutional.