President Obama sent a clear message to Republican lawmakers who seek to repeal the Affordable Care Act -- the health reform law is here to stay.
In his second State of the Union address on Jan. 25, the president said that he is willing to work with lawmakers to improve the law by "making care better or more affordable," but he won’t reverse fundamental parts of the law such as the ban on discriminating against individuals with pre-existing medical conditions.
President Obama
"Let’s fix what needs fixing and move forward," President Obama said during his speech.
But Republicans in Congress seem unlikely to let up on their attack. In the Republican response to the speech, Rep. Paul Ryan of Wisconsin said the GOP will seek to replace the Affordable Care Act with legislation that would reduce cost and expand coverage.
Rep. Ryan, chairman of the House Budget Committee, said that the ACA will cause millions of insured people to lose their current coverage and is "accelerating our country toward bankruptcy."
Despite the wrangling over health reform, the president may have found common ground with Republicans on the issue of medical liability reform.
As part of an effort to bring down health spending, President Obama said he is willing to work with lawmakers to reform the tort system by reining in frivolous lawsuits.
Republican lawmakers have already proposed legislation that would place a $250,000 cap on noneconomic damages. The Help Efficient, Accessible, Low-cost, Timely Healthcare (HEALTH) Act of 2011 (H.R. 5) would also mandate that medical liability suits must be filed within 3 years of the injury in most cases. The legislation has the support of the American Medical Association and 100 medical organizations.