GOP Expected To Face Challenges Dismantling Health Care Reform Law

It still would be difficult to repeal the Affordable Care Act even if presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney is elected and Republicans gain a majority in the Senate, the AP/Sacramento Bee reports.

There are several reasons why it would be difficult to repeal the ACA. For example:

• Any repeal effort would likely be "jumbled together" with other issues, such as defense spending, food stamps, Medicare and taxes; and
• Republicans would have to first pass a budget resolution in order to use special Senate rules for majority voting, rather than the 60 votes necessary to overcome a filibuster.

Considering other items on their agenda, the party would have to pack issues into a budget resolution and accompanying reconciliation bill (Taylor, AP/Sacramento Bee, 7/16).

The GOP previously has acknowledged that using the reconciliation process -- which a political party can use to advance legislation in the Senate with just 51 votes rather than 60 votes that usually are needed to overcome a filibuster -- could be difficult. Under reconciliation rules, legislation must affect the federal deficit and mainly have a fiscal impact. A bill designed to modify policy that only has incidental economic impact cannot qualify for reconciliation (Baker, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 7/3).