House Speaker John Boehner vowed on Sunday to repeal the Affordable Care Act, saying the law, which the Supreme Court ruled as being constitutional this week, should be "ripped out by its roots."
"This has to be ripped out by its roots," Boehner said in an interview on CBS's “Face the Nation.” “This is government taking over the entire health industry. The American people do not want to go down this path. It has to be ripped out and we need to start over one step at a time.
Boehner said that once the entire law is repealed, lawmakers can discuss individual measures. "We can have a common sense debate about which ought to stay and which ought to go," he said.
While he acknowledged that there are parts of the bill that are "good," he said Republicans believe in a "common sense, step-by-step approach.”
"We believe there's a better way to access high quality health insurance," the House Speaker said.
During the interview, Boehner said the healthcare law--which was upheld 5-4 by the high court on Thursday-- will bankrupt the nation and lead the country in the wrong direction.
"While the court upheld it as constitutional, they certainly didn't say that it was a good law," Boehner said. "This law is making it much more difficult for workers to get jobs. It's raising the cost of health insurance for the American people."
“The idea that the federal government can mandate that the American people purchase a product is shocking to me," Boehner added. "All it really does is strengthen my resolve to repeal this awful law."
During the interview, Boehner also said there is no daylight between his stance and that of presumptive GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney.
"Gov. Romney believes as I do that this law has to be repealed," he said. "We will not flinch from our resolve to make sure this bill is repealed in its entirety."
