House GOP weighs reviving contentious ObamaCare fix bill

Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) left open the possibility that the House will resurrect a bill to fix ObamaCare decried by staunch conservatives. 

{mosads}The Speaker told reporters on Tuesday morning, “There’s still conversation going on over how best to deal with that issue.” 

GOP leaders had to pull the bill from consideration on the House floor two weeks ago due to the lack of GOP votes for the measure that would transfer funding around to help individuals with pre-existing conditions. 

Pressed as to whether leaders will, in fact, hold a vote on the measure, Boehner responded, “conversation underway.”

The Speaker added, “I think there’s a lot more conversation about all of ObamaCare that needs to take place.”

House GOP leaders drew the ire of a number of their colleagues when they opted to hold a vote on a measure that would fix a funding depleted program in ObamaCare for individuals with pre-existing conditions.

House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) was behind the push to vote on a measure that would pay for the program by moving money from a so-called “slush” fund created in ObamaCare to the high-risk insurance pools.

Influential conservative interest groups decried the effort as a ploy to bolster a program that the GOP was elected to repeal in its entirety. One group castigated the GOP measure as “CantorCare,” as it was part of his effort to show a kinder, gentler side to the Republican brand.

On Friday, Cantor released a planning memo for the summer months in which he highlighted that the House will vote on a measure to repeal ObamaCare.

The House is set to vote on a different bill this week included under the kinder, gentler umbrella: the Working Families Flexibility Act.

Sophomore Rep. Martha Roby (R-Ala.) sponsored the bill designed to give hourly employees in the private sector the option of choosing to earn time off instead of earning overtime if they work more than 40 hours per week.

Cantor told reporters on Tuesday that “it puts parents over politics. There is no reason in the world for anyone to object to this bill.”

Yet there are objections, including a veto threat issued by the White House.

Democrats call the bill a “hit on women’s paychecks.” 

Cantor is holding an event in Virginia Tuesday afternoon at a private company to showcase the importance of passing the Roby bill.