"A more serious possibility is that ACA opponents could deliver on another pledge: to cut off funding for implementation," Aaron wrote.The legislation authorizes spending, but the actual cash must be appropriated in a second process. The ACA has more than 100 separate authorizations calling for spending of well over $105 billion between now and 2019.
"None of these funds will flow, however, unless Congress enacts specific appropriation bills," Aaron wrote.Members of Congress could stop staff from working on rules for implementation, Aaron said."The nation would then be left with zombie legislation, a program that lives on but works badly, consisting of poorly funded and understaffed state health exchanges that cannot bring needed improvements," he said.
"They could even bar the DHHS (Health and Human Services Department) from writing or issuing regulations or engaging in any other federal activity related to the creation of health insurance exchanges," Aaron added."That would set the stage for a high-stakes game of political 'chicken'," he said. Obama could veto any bills, but Congress could shut down the government by refusing to pass any appropriations.
Paul Howard of the Manhattan Institute, a right-leaning think tank, said Aaron was right."This looks like a tactic that is very likely to be tried," Howard said in a telephone interview."Legislatively, this is probably going to be the game."But Howard said he doubted Republicans would simply want to cripple legislation."They are going to propose alternatives," he said."There is the potential here for some conversation for what healthcare reform should really look like going forward."
House Republicans, in their recently unveiled "Pledge to America" governing agenda, promised to "repeal and replace" Obama's overhaul of the U.S. healthcare system.
House Republican Leader John Boehner, in line to become House speaker if his party wins control of the chamber from Obama's Democrats, recently declared that he and his team are committed to doing all they can to stop the president's plan from being implemented.
"And when I say everything, I mean everything," Boehner told reporters.A number of public opinion polls the past year have shown broad disapproval of Obama's healthcare overhaul, so much so many Democrats up for reelection distance themselves from it.
Serious reform is on hold until 2012 unless of course Obama decides to work with the GOP Congress. In that case the only reform I could envision is one where Obama agrees to the repeal of Obamacare but in return gets significant aspects of it later adopted, and the GOP in turn agrees to go along with part of Obama's agenda in return for his signing off on the overturning of health care legislation. Anyway the next big political battle will be the end of bailing out the states, especially California. In that case it will be serious case of chicken between the GOP and Obama.
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