Yesterday, the Republican-controlled Senate voted to repeal Obamacare - President Barack Obama's signature healthcare law - in a 52 to 47 vote.
This was the 62nd time the Senate has cast a ballot to repeal all or part of the 2010 statute. If the House sends the Senate's bill to President Obama as expected, the measure will become the first of its kind to reach the president - an act Republicans have said will highlight GOP priorities for voters.
The Affordable Care Act repeal is being hailed as a victory - even if just a small one.
It took a lot of persistence to get this far. Just look at some of the previous 61 attempts...
10 Memorable Attempts to Repeal Obamacare
Jan. 19, 2011
Looking to make good on their campaign pledges to "repeal and replace" Obamacare, freshly elected House Republicans managed to get a measure scrapping the law to the House floor almost immediately - and in the form of a bill (H.R.2) that would "repeal the job-killing healthcare law." It ultimately failed in the Senate because there was no mention of a replacement in the terse bill.
March 3, 2011
The House voted to repeal the 1099 ACA reporting requirement for small businesses - a provision intended to generate $22 billion for the law. It passed, but the repeal did not affect the fundamental structure of the ACA.
Nov. 16, 2011
The House voted to include Social Security benefits when calculating the modified adjusted gross income to determine eligibility for financial assistance, making it more difficult for some people to access care.
Feb. 1, 2012
At Congress' urging, the Obama administration agreed it would end implementation of one of the signature components of the Affordable Care Act...
The Community Living Assistance Standards and Supports (or CLASS) Act. The CLASS Act was a program that was designed to ensure long-term care and was required by law to remain financially self-sustaining. But Congress successfully repealed its implementation and the Obama administration reluctantly agreed that it was, in fact, not sustainable.
March 22, 2013
GOP presidential candidate and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz sought an amendment to the Democratic budget resolution that would establish a reserve fund to repeal Obamacare and education reconciliation. In other words, Cruz was calling for budgetary money to be set aside for part of the ACA repeal process. The measure failed 45 to 54.
Aug. 2, 2013
Congress voted on the "Keep the IRS Off Your Health Care Act," H.R. 2009. The bill prevents the IRS from enforcing any part of Obamacare. It passed 232 to 185.
Nov. 15, 2013
In response to President Obama's declaration that Americans could keep their healthcare plan if they liked it, the House voted to allow Americans to do so without being penalized under the law's individual mandate. The measure passed 261 to 157.
March 31, 2014
The Senate passed H.R. 4302, which had already been passed by the House on March 27. This legislation delayed any cuts in the Medicare reimbursement rate until March 2015. Without this legislation, a 24% Medicare cut would go into effect on April 1, 2014.
While some Democrats saw the March 31, 2014, delay as a GOP tactic to "buy time" for further ACA repeal planning, other party members supported the delay. That's because cuts to Medicare could also have been, as Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi pointed out, exploited as flaws with the Affordable Care Act.
It was basically a lose/lose situation for Democrats.
Feb. 4, 2015
This marked the 56th time the House voted to halt the president's signature healthcare law and the fourth time the chamber voted for a full repeal. This time, Republicans included in the bill instructions to develop a replacement for the law - though the bill didn't include what the replacement would be. Many GOP freshmen made campaign promises to do everything in their power to repeal the ACA, and 41 of them kept their word by supporting the repeal. House Speaker John Boehner didn't hide the fact that this vote was about giving them a chance to fulfill their anti-Obamacare pledges.
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July 26, 2015
This creative, full ACA repeal came in the form of an amendment tacked to the U.S. highway funding bill. It was proposed by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Senators voted 49 to 43, unable to meet the 60-vote threshold required to advance it.
Keep yourself apprised of how the GOP continues its efforts to repeal Obamacare by following us on Twitter @moneymorning or liking us on Facebook.
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