Add Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., to the list of lawmakers who wants to cut funding for the 2010 health care law聽as part of the debate over government funding 聽for the remainder of the fiscal year.
In an interview with radio show host Hugh Hewitt, Rubio聽he鈥檒l support legislation to fund the government through Sept. 30 only if it contains language to defund the health law.
Rubio (Photo by Glyn Lowe Photoworks via Flickr)
“This is going to be an implementation disaster. It鈥檚 going to hurt our economy severely, and we aren鈥檛 spending enough time talking about that,” Rubio said.
This week, the Senate is expected to consider 鈥 and amend — that would fund the government through the end of the fiscal year. The bill did not include $949 million in additional funding聽 that the Office of Management and Budget requested for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is overseeing much of the roll-out of the health law. The House measure keeps “” — the $85 billion in automatic budget cuts that began March 1 — in place. The bill would fund the government beyond March 27 when the current 鈥渃ontinuing resolution鈥 expires until the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.
While the OMB request did not specify what the $949 million would fund, “it was pretty well known” that the money聽was to be used to implement the health law’s exchanges,聽 said Matt Dennis, a spokesman for , ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee. The聽are聽 marketplaces being set up in each state where individuals and small businesses will be able to purchase insurance coverage. The exchanges are scheduled to begin enrolling individuals in October for coverage to begin Jan. 1.
Just after the House passed the measure March 6,聽 Lowey said that “without IT infrastructure to process enrollments and payments, verify eligibility and establish call centers, health insurance for millions of Americans could be further delayed.”
Gary Cohen, who heads the CMS Center for聽 Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight, nevertheless told reporters in a conference call March 7 that the health law鈥檚 exchanges would be up and running by Oct. 1 in all states.
But if Republican efforts to defund the health law are successful, all federal funding would cease., has said that he plans to offer an amendment on the floor that would delay funding of the 2010 health law. Cruz has also introduced legislation to repeal the law.
The health law “should not be implemented at [a] time when our economy is struggling so mightily, at a time when its implementation could push us into a full recession,” .
Like Cruz, , has said that he will object to Senate consideration of the continuing resolution unless the floor action includes a vote on defunding the health law.
“At this time of fiscal turmoil, Congress shouldn’t borrow more money to pay for something we cannot afford,” Lee said in a
House Republicans have passed several measures to defund the health law and House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told reporters March 7 the House would do so again.
“We have voted several times to defund Obamacare,” Boehner said. “I am sure we will again this year.”
