On Tuesday, House Republicans said if the U.S. Supreme Court rules that only portions of the federal health reform law are unconstitutional, it would create a "mess" for them to deal with, The Hill's "Healthwatch" reports. The court is expected to deliver a decision on the constitutionality of the law and the individual mandate later this month (Hooper, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 6/5).
According to Roll Call, the House GOP is preparing for a various rulings. Should the high court uphold the overhaul in some form, GOP leaders plan to introduce legislation that would repeal the entire law.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) on Tuesday noted, "We are, I think, united that if there is not a full overturn of the law, that we will put a repeal measure on the floor to totally repeal Obamacare." Cantor acknowledged that the GOP leadership anticipates public pressure to retain the law's most popular provisions, such as those prohibiting insurers from denying coverage to individuals with pre-existing health conditions or allowing individuals up to age 26 to remain on their parents' policies (Newhauser, Roll Call, 6/6).
Rep. Phil Roe (R-Tenn.) echoed Cantor's sentiments and noted that it would be politically difficult for the GOP to advance replacement legislation without input from Democrats. "[W]e have to work together with the other side to pass commonsense reforms that do the job of helping lower health care costs," Roe said (Hooper, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 6/5).
House GOP Mulls Collaboration With Romney Campaign
Meanwhile, House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) met with members of the House GOP caucus to discuss response strategies, which would involve a coordinated effort with Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's campaign.
An aide familiar with the discussions said there was a consensus that regardless of how the Supreme Court rules, "Republicans will avoid the Democrats' mistakes," adding, "We won't rush to pass a massive bill the American people don't support" (Roll Call, 6/6).
Overturning Entire Overhaul Would Benefit Their Bottom Lines, Most Employers Say
Nearly three out of five U.S. employers believe that a Supreme Court decision to overturn the entire federal health reform law would be the best outcome for their finances, according to a survey by the International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans, "Healthwatch," reports.
According to the survey, 58% agreed that a complete overturn of the law would be best for them financially. Two-thirds of employers with 50 or fewer employees said that outcome would be the most favorable, compared with 46% of larger companies with between 500 and 999 employees (Viebeck, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 6/5).
Majority of U.S. Residents Opinions About Obama Will Not Change Based on Court Ruling, Poll Finds
About 66% of U.S. residents said their opinions about President Obama would remain unchanged if the Supreme Court strikes down the health reform law, according to a United Technologies/National Journal Congressional Connection Poll, National Journal reports. Fourteen percent said they would respect the president more while 15% said their respect for him would decrease.
Meanwhile, 22% of respondents said they would respect the Supreme Court more if the justices overturned the law, while 29% said their respect of the court would decrease. Nearly 45% said their opinions about Congress would be altered, with 31% saying their respect for the lawmaking body would decrease (Sanger-Katz, National Journal, 6/5).