U.S. House votes to repeal funding for state-based insurance exchanges

May 9, 2011 — The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation on May 3 that would block mandatory funding for a key provision of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), the second in a series of largely Republican measures aimed at “de-funding” the law.

The bill, (HR 1213), would repeal mandatory funding for grants to help states set up health insurance exchanges. The House passed the measure 238-183, with five Democrats joining a unified Republican caucus in backing it.

However, like the rest of the bills in the House de-funding series, the legislation is unlikely to become law.  Senator Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) the chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions panel, said that the bills would be “dead on arrival” in his committee. President Obama also opposes the series, and issued a veto threat for the exchange measure on May 2.

Source: American Chiropractic Association, www.acatoday.org