Obamacare Repeal: How NJ Representatives Voted

The House of Representatives, by the slimmest of margins, passed a health care bill on Thursday that would repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable Care Act. But a vast majority of New Jersey representatives — including Republicans — opposed it (see list below).

The final tally was 217-213, but New Jersey representatives voted 10-2 against, including three Republicans.

Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen, a Republican from Morris County, said he voted to support the bill because Obamacare is "collapsing" across the country and "failing to make health care affordable for New Jersey families facing skyrocketing premiums, soaring deductibles, and fewer choices."

"So doing nothing is not an option!" he said in a statement. “The earlier version of the House-proposed American Health Care Act was unacceptable to me. Today, I want to reassure New Jersey families that this legislation protects those with pre-existing conditions and restores essential health benefits."

Rep. Leonard Lance, a Republican from Hunterdon County, ran in support of repealing Obamacare and replacing it with a plan "that lowers premiums, drives down health-care costs, encourages competition and gives every American access to quality, affordable health insurance."

"The House-passed bill doesn’t achieve these goals," he said. “Additionally, important cost-saving provisions like purchase of policies across state lines, small business pooling and medical malpractice reform are absent from today’s legislation. And it has yet to be analyzed for cost and effects by the Congressional Budget Office."

Here is the final vote tally to repeal Obamacare:

Yes

• Tom MacArthur, R-3 (Ocean and Burlington)
• Rodney Frelinghuysen, R-11 (Morris)

No

• Donald Norcross, D-1 (Camden, Gloucester)
• Frank LoBiondo, R-2 (Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic)
• Chris Smith, R-4 (Ocean, Mercer, Monmouth)
• Josh Gottheimer, D-5 (Sussex, Bergen, Warren)
• Frank Pallone, D-6 (Middlesex, Monmouth)
• Leonard Lance, R-7 (Hunterdon, Somerset, Morris)
• Albio Sires, D-8 (Essex, Union, Hudson)
• Bill Pascrell, D-9 (Passaic)
• Donald Payne, D-10 (Essex, Hudson)
• Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-12 (Mercer, Middlesex)

Related Video: Protesters Gather For Health Care Bill Protest

Patch file photo