Yesterday evening, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3762, the Restoring Americans’ Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act, by a vote of 240-181.  One Democrat (Peterson, Minn.) joined the Republicans in voting for the bill, while 3 Republicans (Hanna and Katko, N.Y.; Dold, Ill.) sided with the minority.  Thirteen members (9 Democrats, 4 Republicans) did not vote, while one seat in Congress remains vacant following Speaker Boehner’s departure. The bill is now on its way to President Obama for either signature or veto.  President Obama has said he will veto the politically popular reform legislation that would spare the federal deficit, and taxpayers, billions of dollars:  the Congressional Budget Office estimated that the repeal would reduce the federal deficit by $516 billion over ten years.  If vetoed, both Senate and House leadership are likely to attempt an override of the veto; however, an override requires a two-thirds majority in each chamber, and for a vote that is likely to fall along party lines, the Republican majorities are not sufficient to meet that threshold without support from Democrats. After previous attempts to repeal Obamacare were filibustered by Senate Democrats, Congress crafted this bill under a procedure known as reconciliation.  Reconciliation allows for a bill that deals strictly with spending, revenue, or the debt limit to require only a simple majority for passage and cannot be filibustered in the Senate.  The approval of the bill by the House and Senate demonstrates the desire for conservative priorities generally and, more specifically, for a repeal of Obamacare.