Republicans, Democrats Rework Messaging on Health Reform Law
The U.S. Supreme Court's decision to uphold the federal health reform law has forced Republicans and Democrats to conduct "a series of adjustments" to their health care messaging, The Hill's "Healthwatch" reports.
Republican's Efforts
In their efforts to recover ground lost by the court's ruling to allow the individual mandate as a tax, House Republicans will conduct a floor vote on legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act this week.
Although Republicans capitalized on the court's ruling to reiterate their argument that the law imposes a tax on consumers, the tactic appeared to lose momentum after presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney and his campaign publicly took different stances on the mandate.
According to "Healthwatch," the "silver lining" for Republicans is that opposition to the Affordable Care Act remains high and the Supreme Court's ruling has boosted the GOP's fundraising efforts.
Democrats' Efforts
Meanwhile Democrats are eager to exploit the contradicting views in the Romney campaign and emphasize the GOP's push to repeal the law, arguing that lawmakers should be focusing on the economy.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in a statement on Friday said, "Republicans are wasting more time next week on another partisan vote to repeal patients' rights and benefits -- even as Americans' top priority remains job creation."
Some Democrats, however, acknowledged that they might face challenges defending the overhaul. Pelosi recently admitted that Democrats need to do more to highlight the overhaul's benefits to consumers, "Healthwatch" reports (Viebeck, "Healthwatch," The Hill, 7/7).
This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.