Boehner rips health reform law rollout

The top Republican in the House chided the administration's rollout of the new reform law, sending a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius that points to higher cost estimates, job-loss data and a lack of follow-through on an executive order on abortion coverage as key areas of GOP concern.

The letter, sent by House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), counters one sent to lawmakers this week by Sebelius. In that letter, HHS highlighted a number of the law's earliest deliverables, including health insurance reform and small business tax credits. “Now I've seen my fair share of propaganda, but this letter must have been written in an alternative universe,” Boehner told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference.

Republicans have been critical of the reform package from the start, with most insisting that it would raise the cost of care instead of reining it in. So far, it has been a battle of words, but Republicans hope to parlay heated feelings over the law into election victories in November.

Separately, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi championed the reform effort. “We're very pleased with the unfolding of the healthcare bill,” she said. “In a bigger sense, it is about a healthier America.”