US Congress passes first step to repeal Obamacare

The US House and Senate passed a major measure marking the first step toward repealing President Barack Obama's Obamacare health law.

US House of Representatives. Photo: Reuters.

The US House of Representatives on January 13 voted 227-198 to pass a budget resolution providing Republicans with a framework to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare, one of President Barack Obama's achievements, AFP reported.

"This resolution is the starting shot... to repeal Obamacare," Ohio Republican Representative Bill Johnson said shortly before the House voted. "This is an important first step to help those who have been hurt by Obamacare. The experiment has failed. We need to intervene before the situation gets worse."

The US Senate passed a budget resolution on January 12. The resolution did not receive support from Democrats in either house, indicating that the two parties will face off in the coming time.

The resolution gives Republicans a tool to shield their efforts to repeal Obamacare in the Senate from obstructionist tactics. Passage would require a simple majority, rather than more than 60 seats.

US President-elect Donald Trump has made repealing Obamacare a central part of his campaign. He said Republicans are looking to repeal and replace Obamacare "at the same time."

The White House has described Obamacare as a huge success, saying more than 20 million Americans have health insurance thanks to the law. Democrats warn that repealing Obamacare could leave millions of Americans without insurance.

Nine House Republicans voted against the bill. Rep. Charlie Dent cited the "limitations" of repealing Obamacare without a credible replacement. "The repeal plan needs to be more fully developed and articulated," he told CNN.

According to VNE