Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson supported passage of H.R. 45, which fully repeals the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  He was a cosponsor of this legislation, which passed the House of Representatives 229 to 195.  

Today the House voted to repeal the ACA for the first time in the 113^th Congress following on the heels of a report compiled by the House Energy and Commerce Committee requesting an updated analysis of the costs of the ACA as estimated by the nation’s 17 largest health insurance companies. 

“To be perfectly frank, Idahoans are well aware this is hardly the first time the House has voted to repeal the ACA,” said Congressman Simpson. “In fact, this is the 37^th time the House has voted to repeal part or all of the law since it was implemented.  While it may sound like a poor use of Congress’ time, I believe it is a reflection of how deeply unpopular the law remains, not just in the House, but across the country and especially in Idaho.”

Among other things, this study found that Americans’ insurance premiums will increase at enormous rates.  It found that consumers purchasing health insurance on the individual market will likely face premium increases of nearly 100% on average, with some increases of more than 400%.  Small businesses can expect average premium increases for small group plans of about 50%, with potential for a 100% increase in some cases.

“The Obama Administration has finally admitted that there will be premium increases for Americans, but this study found that many people could see their premium double next year when the law is fully implemented.  This is a far cry from what the Administration promised while the law was debated, in fact, they claimed the law would lower costs for families and businesses.” Simpson added, “I thought those claims were dubious at the time, but we now know they are simply untrue- in fact, the opposite is true, the cost of health insurance for most Americans is about to skyrocket.”

The bill will now move to the Senate, where it is unlikely to receive consideration by the Democratic majority.