Media reports are casting the House vote to repeal the 2010 healthcare reform law as a political exercise that has virtually no chance of overcoming Democratic resistance in the Senate -- much less escaping the President's veto pen.
The AP (1/20, Espo) says that Republicans were "honoring a campaign pledge." The tally, 245-189, "was largely along party lines, and cleared the way for the second phase of the 'repeal and replace' promise that victorious Republicans made to the voters last fall. GOP officials said that in the coming months, congressional committees will propose changes to the existing legislation, calling for elimination of a requirement for individuals to purchase coverage, for example, and recommending curbs on medical malpractice lawsuits."