WASHINGTON (AP) - Republican repeal of President Barack Obama's
health care overhaul law would take away personal freedoms and put
power back in the hands of insurance companies, the
administration's top health official said Tuesday.
House Republicans have scheduled a vote next week to repeal the
law, calling it a job-killing mandate that raises costs all around
and promotes government intrusion in decisions that should be left
to individuals and doctors, business owners and regulators at the
state level.
Previewing the administration's counterattack, Health and Human
Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said new benefits under the
law have freed millions of Americans from worry that they'll lose
or be denied insurance, made it easier for small businesses to
sponsor coverage for their employees, and provided more affordable
prescriptions for seniors on Medicare.
"The new law is giving people more freedoms and more choices,"
Sebelius told reporters. "Repeal really takes away all of those
freedoms and shifts power back to the insurance companies."
While the repeal push is likely to win in the House, it appears
headed for a dead end in the Democratic-controlled Senate, where
leaders have vowed to block it.