House GOP’s Summer Strategy Involves Repeal of Health Reform Law
House Republicans plan to continue voting to eliminate parts of the federal health reform law as part of the chamber's summer strategy, according to a planning memo released Friday by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.), The Hill's "Healthwatch" reports (Baker, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 5/25).
Cantor wrote that the House by June 4 could vote on two measures to partially repeal the overhaul.
One bill (HR 436) would repeal the overhaul's 2.3% excise tax on makers and importers of certain medical devices, which is set to go into effect in 2013 (Cohen, CQ Today, 5/25). The tax was included in the health reform law to raise about $20 billion over a decade.
According to an aide, the House Ways and Means Committee on May 31 will mark up an identical bill (HR 488) to repeal the fees on device makers.
The House GOP also expects to take up another measure (HR 5842) that would repeal the health reform law's ban on using health savings accounts and flexible spending account funds to buy over-the-counter drugs (CQ HealthBeat, 5/25).
Cantor wrote that July likely will be dominated by health care discussions, in the wake of the high court's decision on the constitutionality of the overhaul, which is expected to be announced in late June (Newhauser, Roll Call, 5/25).
The memo does not include details about how the party will approach the overhaul after the Supreme Court rules, according to Politico (Sherman, Politico, 5/25).