Affordable Care Act vote in House

The U.S. House voted along mostly party lines to repeal President Obama’s Affordable Care Act Wednesday. While the repeal is not expected to go anywhere in the Senate, it is expected to remain a hot campaign issue.

The vote was 244 to 185, with northern Wisconsin Republican Congressman Sean Duffy on the repeal side. Duffy says he agrees with a few parts of what Republicans call “ObamaCare”. “My concern is as a whole, we see a consolidation of power and decision making with bureaucrats instead of with families and patients and I think that’s not the right way,” he says.

Duffy’s Democratic opponent in this fall’s election is former State Senator Pat Kreitlow of Chippewa Falls. He’ll use Duffy’s vote as a campaign issue to unseat the freshman Republican. “The elements of it are quite popular when it comes to not allowing pre-existing conditions to get you kicked off your insurance and things like that,” he says. “So, how does this Congress move forward?”

This is the 33rd vote by House Republicans to repeal part of or all of the Affordable Care Act. Kreitlow says this vote was purely political. “It’s nothing but that,” he says. “Congress only has one last chance to actually doing something productive before they go on their August campaign recess and as you know, it’s nearly impossible for any real business to get it done.”

Duffy disagrees, and says his vote was one of conscience. “You can’t play politics with these big issues,” he says. “You got to look at it and do what you think is right. Not just for this generation but what’s the right thing for future generations. What’s right for our kids and our grandkids?”

Duffy doesn’t expect the Senate to take up this bill. He says unlike the Senate, House Republicans have been out-front in showing legislative leadership.