(Dec. 5, 2015) -- For the first time, a U.S. Senate majority has voted to real major parts of "ObamaCare" (the "Affordable Care Act.") The same bill also includes a provision ending federal funding for Planned Parenthood for one year. The bill passed the House in October and when it arrives at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave., President Obama has promised to veto it (and any bills that would repeal the mandatory health insurance law.)
Dubbed the "Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015," a summary of H.R. 3762 by the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress indicates the measure amends the Internal Revenue Code to eliminate the requirement for individuals to maintain minimum essential health care coverage and the requirement for certain large employers to make shared responsibility payments, effective after December 31, 2014. It also repeals (after Dec. 31, 2017) an excise tax on medical devices and on high cost employer-sponsored health coverage (the "Cadillac tax") and after 2014, W-2 forms no longer need to include the cost of employer-sponsored coverage.
The bill also provides that for one year, no federal funds may be made available to a state for direct payments, or payments through a managed care organization, to an entity (e.g., Planned Parenthood Federation of America) that: is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization; is an essential community provider primarily engaged in family planning services and reproductive health; provides for abortions other than abortions in cases of rape or incest, or where a physical condition endangers a woman's life unless an abortion is performed; and received a total of more than $350 million under Medicaid in FY2014, including payments to affiliates, subsidiaries, successors, or clinics.
The measure increases funding for community health centers.
[Scroll down for further.]
