The Affordable Care Act (ACA) saw quite a bit of action this week as the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to repeal the entire law, Congressional Republicans unveiled the basics of an ACA replacement plan and implementation continued on the existing law.

House Passes ACA Repeal

On Tuesday, the House passed H.R. 596, a bill that would repeal the ACA in its entirety, in a 239-186 vote. The bill passed the House easily, but even with a Republican majority in the Senate, the legislation is unlikely to garner the 60 votes necessary to beat a Democratic filibuster. Even if the bill somehow passes in the Senate, it would undoubtedly be vetoed by President Obama.

Burr, Hatch and Upton Unveil ACA Replacement Plan

Thursday morning, Sen. Richard Burr (R-North Carolina), Senate Finance Chairman Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and House Energy and Commerce Chairman Fred Upton (R-Michigan) unveiled the “Patient Choice, Affordability, Responsibility, and Empowerment (CARE) Act.” This plan would repeal the ACA and replace it with legislative proposals that its Republican supporters say would lower health care costs and expand choices for consumers. The Congress members also released detailed summary of the ACA replacement plan.

FFM Open Enrollment Deadline Approaches

As a reminder, the open enrollment period for the Federally Facilitated Marketplace (FFM) will come to a close on Feb. 15. More information about the FFM registration process, including important deadlines, is available in a special section of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services website.

Wyatt Stewart is Big “I” director of federal government affairs.