Republican Rep. Vicky Hartzler said Saturday that the House of Representatives will take up a bill next week that would eliminate key aspects of the Affordable Care Act and halt taxpayer funding for Planned Parenthood.
"As Congress returns next week, in one of our first acts of the New Year, the House will vote on a bill that would eliminate key parts of Obamacare and stop taxpayer funding for abortion providers, such as Planned Parenthood," Hartzler said in a Republican Party's weekly address, adding that the passage of the bill, titled Restoring America's Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, would be a "significant step in improving our health care system."
Hartzler, who co-chairs the House Values Action Team, argued that Obamacare is coercive in nature, which causes premiums and deductibles to increase.
"That's the problem with Obamacare. It forces people to buy insurance that's much more expensive than what they need. And when you force millions of people to buy expensive and unaffordable insurance, it's not that surprising to see premiums going up," she said.
The new bill would repeal the crux of Obamacare: the individual and employer mandate. "It will be your choice. This bill also eliminates the employer mandate to offer insurance. No longer will job creators have to choose between hiring more workers or paying for coverage they can't afford. And this bill eliminates many of the Obamacare taxes on things like prescription drugs and medical devices. Critical medicine and medical devices are the very things that save lives. They should never have been taxed in the first place. This bill will set things right."
And being that the main point of health care is to protect human life, Hartzler said that the bill would also stop all federal funds from going to Planned Parenthood. Conservative lawmakers have concentrated efforts on defunding the women's health care provider since the release of a series of undercover videos allegedly showing top officials discussing the harvesting and sale of fetal tissue from aborted babies for medical research.
"The people have for years asked Congress to stop sending taxpayer dollars to Planned Parenthood, especially as we learned last year of the disturbing practices Planned Parenthood officials engaged in, such as harvesting and selling baby body parts," she said. "These actions along with the hundreds of thousands of abortions they perform each year show a blatant disregard for human life."
The measure has already passed the Senate and is likely to make it through the House as well, with a vote expected for Jan. 6, less than a week before Obama's State of the Union address on Jan. 12. It will then head to President Obama, who has promised to issue a veto, according to the Associated Press.
"As a result, President Obama will soon have a choice: Does he support the people and women's health, or does he support Washington mandates and tax dollars going to Planned Parenthood?" Hartzler said.
A vote to override the veto is reportedly scheduled for Jan. 26. While lawmakers won't likely garner enough votes to successfully override a veto, the plan will force Obama's hand and likely draw media attention, especially considering that the annual March for Life will bring hundreds of thousands of pro-life activists to the national mall in Washington, D.C., on on Jan. 22, according to Breitbart.
