Top US House Republican John Boehner on Thursday vowed quick action next year to try to roll back President Barack Obama’s signature overhaul of the US health care system.
“You’ll see us move quickly enough,” said Boehner, who is set to replace Democratic Representative Nancy Pelosi as Speaker when Republicans formally take control of the House in early January.
Republicans believe Obama’s health care overhaul “will bankrupt our nation” and “believe it needs to be repealed and replaced with common-sense reforms to bring down the cost of health insurance,” said the Ohio lawmaker.
Rolling back the sweeping measure has been a rallying cry for US conservatives, especially the “Tea Party” movement that helped power massive Republican gains in November 2 elections.
But with Democrats in control of the Senate and Obama holding the White House, outright repeal is impossible, and experts predict Republicans will try a more piecemeal approach, including denying funds to implement key measures.
Boehner’s comments came a day after a private foundation released a survey that gave US health care poor marks in a study of health care systems in 11 wealthy countries.
The New York-based Commonwealth Fund study found that a third of US adults “went without recommended care, did not see a doctor when sick, or failed to fill prescriptions because of costs,” it said.
That compared to as few as five to six percent in the Netherlands and Britain, according to the study.
Washington, Nov 18, 2010 (AFP)
