Republicans today made good on their promises to get a federal health care law repeal bill to the House floor.
Rep. Mike Conaway, R-Texas, presided as H.R. 2, the Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act bill, came up for debate.
The bill, which was introduced by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., would repeal the act officially known as the Affordable Care Act, a legislative package that includes the Patient Protection 
and Affordable Care Act (PPACA) and the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act.
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., started off debate by saying the Republicans have brought the bill to the floor because they heard the American people in the last election and believe implementing the Affordable Care Act would increase health care costs, discourage employers from hiring workers, and accelerate the country's slide into bankruptcy.
The Congressional Budget Office has estimated that repealing the act would cost hundreds of billions of dollars. That is because Democrats have left major expenses out of the act, double counted key sources of revenue, and used other gimmicks, Ryan said.
"This new law is a fiscal house of cards and a health care house of cards," Ryan said.
The act would lead to $2.6 trillion in additional spending over 10 years, and, "when you take away the smoke and mirrors, this has a $701 billion deficit," Ryan said.
Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Pa., who spoke against H.R. 2, said the new Republican majority wants to make its first major act repealing a law that provides popular, important consumer protections, such as protections for people with pre-existing conditions.
