Stop the Madness: 129 million Invisible Americans

Approximately 129 million Americans under age 65 have health problems that could damage their capacity to obtain health insurance or force them to pay higher premiums, according to a U.S. government study. According to the US Census Bureau, 35.9 million people live below the poverty line in America, including 12.9 million children.

The Department of Health and Human Services released the research as the House of Representatives prepared to take up a Republican bill to repeal the healthcare overhaul that was one of President Barack Obama's biggest legislative achievements in 2010. Not sure what is supposed to replace it.

U.S. Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said the House debate on the Republican-backed proposal would provide an opportunity to spell out the benefits of the legislation that would provide coverage to as many as 33 million American people who lack medical insurance in one of the most developed countries in the world.

Sebelius is quoted in the article, "Under the old rules, if you had any kind of medical condition, whether you were a child born with a medical disability, a cancer survivor, a pregnant woman or, in some cases, even a victim of domestic violence, insurers could freely deny you application.

The vote by the Republican-led House that is set for Wednesday will be largely symbolic since Democrats remain in control of the Senate and are unlikely to advance the repeal effort. But the repeal votes will help Republicans fulfill a campaign pledge to play act and meet a key demand of conservative Tea Party activists regardless of the fact nothing changes. The Republican voters got suckered. According to uslegal.com: Repeal means to revoke or rescind, especially by an official or formal act. To repeal a law is to void an existing law, by passage of a repealing statute, or by public vote on a referendum. A law may be repealed by implication, by passage of a statute which is inconsistent with the old statute.

The process to repeal legislation is the same as getting a bill passed into law.