# Will Republicans actually repeal the Affordable Care Act? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [September 19, 2016, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377 "2016-09-19T20:27:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/21 "2016-09-20T04:18:53Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > [Obamacare repeal would lead to 24 million more people without health insurance](http://www.cnbc.com/2016/06/13/obamacare-repeal-would-lead-to-24-million-more-people-without-health-insurance.html) > > Obamacare repeal would lead to 24 million more people without health insurance It would also screw over a lot of people with pre-existing conditions again – since the ACA ended the clause that you could be denied insurance due to having one. ---
**Author:** ![jasg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f0a364/32.png) [@jasg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasg)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2016, 4:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/22 "2016-09-20T04:45:21Z")
All that must be done to kill Obamacare is to remove the mandate. ---
**Author:** ![Common\_Tater](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/common_tater/32/13846_2.png) [@Common\_Tater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Common_Tater)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/23 "2016-09-21T07:34:53Z")
Mencken had this stuff pegged a hundred years ago. He wrote (paraphrased) "It’s the Democrats job to screw things up. It’s the Republicans job _to keep it that way."_ You get one guess. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 7:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/24 "2016-09-21T07:51:09Z")
They wouldn’t just need a majority, but a filibuster-proof majority. That is not going to happen. Would they if they could? Yes. They put too much of their rhetoric on it. It would cost them voters if they didn’t. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/25 "2016-09-21T15:03:33Z")
I have a relative that, due to age and pre-existing conditions, is effectively uninsurable in today’s world. The only reason at all he and his wife have insurance is because of ACA. Yet he continually rails against “Obamacare” and wants it repealed, and sings the praises of Trump. I wonder at the mental gymnastics required to hold such contradictory positions at the same time. ---
**Author:** ![Leo\_Krupe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ebca7d/32.png) [@Leo\_Krupe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leo_Krupe)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/26 "2016-09-21T15:07:18Z")
> [@HurricaneDitka](#): > > Another Canadian migrant? Can I interest you in some real estate north of the border? I have nothing against Canada. It’s a great country, and there’s nothing wrong, and everything right with it. Except the massive number of Americans who would want to live there. I’d sooner choose Antarctica for that reason. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/27 "2016-09-21T16:43:30Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > I have a relative that, due to age and pre-existing conditions, is effectively uninsurable in today’s world. The only reason at all he and his wife have insurance is because of ACA. > > Yet he continually rails against “Obamacare” and wants it repealed, and sings the praises of Trump. I wonder at the mental gymnastics required to hold such contradictory positions at the same time. Have you ever attempted to point this out to him? I must say, I’m surprised at the sheer tenacity of GOP opposition to health care reform. It’s been 6 years, and they’re still deranged about this issue. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/28 "2016-09-21T17:10:48Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > I must say, I’m surprised at the sheer tenacity of GOP opposition to health care reform. It’s been 6 years, and they’re still deranged about this issue. If your political opponents enshrined into law something that goes against your core beliefs would you still be “deranged” after six years or just let it go? Pick whatever issue makes your heart flutter. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/29 "2016-09-21T17:25:26Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > If your political opponents enshrined into law something that goes against your core beliefs would you still be “deranged” after six years or just let it go? Pick whatever issue makes your heart flutter. What I figured was that it would be like other social changes that nobody now wants to reverse, like women’s suffrage or the end of segregation. The opposition to gay marriage seems to be dimming pretty significantly as well. The idea that sick poor people should be able to receive medical attention without going bankrupt seems to me to rank amongst those things. I thought conservatives would have gotten used to that basic principle by now, and the Overton window shifted to the left. But I confess I have a liberal bias, and I also have a direct personal stake in this. If the ACA is repealed, I will lose my healthcare. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/30 "2016-09-21T17:39:21Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > They wouldn’t just need a majority, but a filibuster-proof majority. That is not going to happen. They might not be able to repeal ACA if there are 41 Democrats in the Senate, but if the President were opposed to it, wouldn’t he be able to hobble it severely via appointments, executive actions, etc.? ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/31 "2016-09-21T17:52:45Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > What I figured was that it would be like other social changes that nobody now wants to reverse, like women’s suffrage or the end of segregation. I think it’s more like New Deal era policies, which the right still wants to dismantle. Or abortion. Or regulations on industry. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/32 "2016-09-21T18:33:26Z")
> [@septimus](#): > > They might not be able to repeal ACA if there are 41 Democrats in the Senate, but if the President were opposed to it, wouldn’t he be able to hobble it severely via appointments, executive actions, etc.? Executive actions are a moral evil that only Democrats use. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/33 "2016-09-21T18:58:07Z")
Rick Kitchen wrote: “Executive actions are a moral evil that only Democrats use.” Sarcasm or not? ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/34 "2016-09-21T19:18:06Z")
Of course. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/35 "2016-09-21T20:32:18Z")
> [@marshmallow](#): > > If your political opponents enshrined into law something that goes against your core beliefs would you still be “deranged” after six years or just let it go? Pick whatever issue makes your heart flutter. If the “core belief” it goes against is “Fuck those guys, I’m against whatever they’re for”, then yes. Which is the case. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/36 "2016-09-21T20:35:21Z")
> [@Rick\_Kitchen](#): > > Repeal has never passed in the Senate. Isn’t because its always been blocked by a Dem majority? If I recall, the last time they voted to repeal was a big deal because it was touted as the first time a repeal made it to Obama’s desk due to the Senate falling to GOP control. I may be remembering things wrong though > [@Czarcasm](#): > > They couldn’t control their party enough to stop Trump. What makes you think they could do this? The GOP was split on Trump. They are lock-step in line with repealing the ACA > [@marshmallow](#): > > If your political opponents enshrined into law something that goes against your core beliefs would you still be “deranged” after six years or just let it go? Pick whatever issue makes your heart flutter. Maybe I’m being cynical, but I don’t think the ACA is against core conservative beliefs. It was, after all, repeatedly mentioned as having come from the Heritage Foundation. Past conservatives have championed something similar, such as Romney. It is only now their core belief to hate it because Democrats passed it and millions of people love it and credit them for it. Had Bush somehow been able to get this done, conservatives would be crowing over it like a gold medal. What’s deranged is that they haven’t been able to give credit where credit’s due in 6 years, but that probably has more to do with trying to keep their jobs than some personal hatred of the law, though some of them have shifted since then to hate it for real ---
**Author:** ![DeptfordX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@DeptfordX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeptfordX)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/37 "2016-09-23T15:46:45Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > They wouldn’t just need a majority, but a filibuster-proof majority. That is not going to happen. Budget reconcilation bill that cuts it to ribbons, or more likely, just straight repeal the Filibuster and go hog wild with their entire wish list. You think they wouldn’t do it? ---
**Author:** ![DonLogan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/51bf81/32.png) [@DonLogan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DonLogan)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/38 "2016-09-23T18:47:30Z")
Not a chance, even if they had POTUS, both houses, and 60 in the Senate. The House might do it, but the Senate would never sign off on a bill that outright repealed everything. They’d pass something and \*\*\* call\*\*\* it a repeal, but it wouldn’t be. I’ve never even bothered to look at the 40-something or whatever “repeals” the House passed to see if they were really repeals. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2016, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/39 "2016-09-23T21:47:50Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > If Trump wins _and_ Republicans have control of the House and Senate, then I guess your country doesn’t want the ACA enough to keep it. This is why we can’t have nice things. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2016, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377/40 "2016-09-24T19:46:12Z")
The funny thing is that the Republicans used to talk about repealing Obamacare and doing their own version of health care reform. They’ve had six years to come up with their alternative to Obamacare, but they haven’t made much progress beyond Step 1: Repeal Obamacare. Health insurance in this country is a fucking disaster. Obamacare is a band-aid. And all the Republicans can think to do is remove the band-aid. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/will-republicans-actually-repeal-the-affordable-care-act/766377.md?page=3)