Following the passage of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, H.R. 3590, on Christmas Eve, Congress is now in winter recess. When both houses resume later next month, they will begin the process of merging the House and Senate bills.

Reaction to the successful vote has varied predictably along party lines. Several Republican state and national legislators have discussed the need for investigation of the constitutionality of the legislation or to take appropriate legal action against the federal government in the event the legislation becomes law. In particular, some officials are concerned over the legality of the Medicaid funding arranged for the State of Nebraska, after which Senator Ben Nelson (D-NE) voted in favor of the bill. Vermont and Massachusetts will receive similar funding. Officials calling for legal action or investigation include Utah Attorney General Mark Shurtleff; South Carolina Attorney General Henry McMaster, Washington State Attorney General Rob McKenna, Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, and U.S. Senators Lindsey Graham and Jim DeMint (R-SC).

Senator Graham summed up the opposition feeling after the vote: "This bill dramatically increases government control of our nation's health care. It raises taxes over $500 billion and cuts Medicare by $464 billion. At the end of the day, the real-world impact of this legislation is that 80 percent of Americans will find themselves in some form of government-run, government-controlled health care...Written behind closed doors in backrooms of the Capitol-- the legislation completely exempts one state, Nebraska, from paying for expanded Medicaid coverage, a requirement imposed on the 49 states. This provision, if not unprecedented, is certainly among the most troubling to have ever passed the Senate."

On the other side, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), the driving force behind the legislation expressed approval and optimism: "From the start, our goal has been to deliver fiscally responsible reform that guarantees access to quality, affordable health care to every American--our bill accomplishes that. For thousands of Nevadans and millions of Americans, this is not just a remarkable moment in the history of the country--this news is truly life-changing. We are a step closer to promoting a health system that values quality of care over profit. I look forward to working with our friends in the House so we can send a final bill to President Obama as soon as possible."

U.S. Representatives Henry A. Waxman (D-CA), Charles B. Rangel (D-NY), and George Miller (D-CA), the chairpersons of the three committees with jurisdiction over health policy in the U.S. House of Representatives, had the following comments on the bill's passage:

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