GOP budget proposals call for a repeal of the ACA

As predicted, Republicans are once again attempting to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Budget proposals from both Senate and House Republicans call for a repeal of the ACA — something insurance broker lobbying firms anticipated after the November midterm elections when the GOP won control of Congress.

Also see: Top broker orgs predict the GOP’s next steps on the ACA

Senate Republicans also called for a repeal of the 2.3% medical device tax, which took effect Jan. 1, 2013. Calling the tax “onerous,” Finance Committee Chairman Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) said it harms innovation in health care, stunts job creation and hampers delivery of care. “It is time to end this tax so that more resources can be devoted to health care innovation — not to the coffers of Obamacare,” he said.

The continued debate over repealing the health care law needs to stop, said Ron Wyden (D-Oregon), ranking member of the Finance Committee. It’s time “to get past the well-worn talking points and begin the effort to find bipartisan ways to improve the Affordable Care Act,” he said. “That strikes me as the best use of our time.”