The House voted Wednesday to repeal President Barack Obama's signature health care law, but don't cancel your medical appointments just yet.

Republicans have tried some 30 times to repeal all or part of the law since it passed in 2010, providing sweeping changes to the American health care system.

Wednesday's attempt is as doomed in the Democrat-controlled Senate as its predecessors.

The 244-185 vote was widely considered an exercise in election year politics that allowed the GOP to force Democrats to choose between supporting the president's top domestic policy or siding with voters who, according to polls, dislike it.

"This is a law the American people did not want when it was passed, and it remains a law that the American people do not want now," said Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., in a floor speech Wednesday. He said the vote was a chance to "tell the American people, 'We are on your side. We care about your health care. We want quality care and affordable costs. We listened and we've acted.' "

Rep. Mike Doyle, D-Forest Hills, called the repeal effort "blatantly political" and said the maneuver, if successful, would have allowed insurance companies to restore caps on lifetime benefits and would have kept health insurance out of reach for tens of millions of Americans.

"I hope that now, after 31 votes, House Republicans have gotten this out of their system and we can finally put it behind us, give the new law a chance to work and move on to the challenge of creating more jobs," he said.

The repeal vote came two weeks after the controversial law survived a constitutional challenge. The Supreme Court upheld it, energizing Republicans who pledged to fight for repeal and to work to oust the law's supporters from Congress.

"House Republicans are continuing their politically motivated attempts to repeal health care reform instead of responding to the priorities of the American public," said Rep. Allyson Schwartz, D-Philadelphia. "The Republicans are, again, asking Congress to strip Americans of the economic security that comes with access to continuous, affordable, meaningful health coverage."

Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif, said repeal would harm children with pre-existing medical conditions, young adults who are able to stay on the parents' insurance policies until age 26 and senior citizens for whom the law increases coverage for prescription drugs.

Originally posted here:

House Votes to Repeal Health Law