Washington ( CNN ) -- Senate Democrats on Wednesday blocked a Republican effort to repeal the health care law passed last year . The party-line vote , with all 47 Republicans in favor and 51 Democrats opposed , meant the procedural motion failed to get the necessary 60 votes to pass . Two Democrats did n't vote . While the Republican-controlled House of Representatives previously succeeded in passing a bill to repeal the health care overhaul on Jan. 19 , the Senate defeat Wednesday means a total repeal of the measure by Congress is dead for now . The Senate vote involved a Democratic challenge to a Republican amendment that would repeal the health care law . Because the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said the health care reform law will lower the deficit , Democrats argued that repealing it would increase the deficit . The Democrats therefore invoked a point of order against the Republican amendment under budget rules that limit the ability of Congress to increase the deficit . That forced Republicans to try to waive the budget rules in this case , with the motion requiring 60 votes in the 100-seat Senate to pass . The threshold proved out of reach for the Republicans , who hold 47 seats . Using the budget argument was a way for Democrats to say they voted for fiscal responsibility . Senator Kent Conrad , D-North Dakota , said before the vote that supporting the Republican amendment would be `` irresponsible '' and `` reckless . '' `` The amendment will significantly worsen the deficit , '' Conrad said , noting that senators from both parties are calling for getting deficits and debt under control . Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell , R-Kentucky , the amendment 's sponsor , responded that the public will understand that the vote was really against the repeal of health care reform . `` Only in Washington could you argue with a straight face that starting a new trillion-dollar entitlement program '' was a way to save money , McConnell said . While a repeal of the entire health care law wo n't move forward , Senate Democrats joined Republicans in voting for the elimination of a rule , scheduled to take effect in 2012 , that would require businesses to issue Form 1099s to any individual or corporation from which they buy more than $ 600 in goods or services in a year . Most liberals and conservatives view the rule as an unnecessary burden on private-sector employers . Wednesday 's vote amounted to a push by Republicans to get Democratic opposition to a full repeal on the record in the form of votes against the amendment . Democrats concede the health care overhaul can be improved , but they oppose rolling back benefits for consumers . `` We 're not going to go back and fight the battles of the last two years , '' White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday . `` We 're not going to go backward . We 're going to move forward . '' Overall , the Republicans oppose the increased government role in regulating health care , claiming it will impinge on individuals ' right to choose care options . Democrats say the law will better control skyrocketing health care costs and expand coverage to millions of people currently lacking health insurance . The push for an outright repeal is one of several strategies currently being pursued by the GOP leadership in order to undermine support for the law . Senate Republicans also introduced legislation Tuesday that would allow states to opt out of key provisions of the new health care law . Specifically , the bill would allow state governments to opt out of the so-called `` individual mandate '' requiring everyone to obtain health care coverage by 2014 or face penalties . It would also allow states to ignore new mandates regarding employer-based coverage , insurance benefits and an expansion of Medicaid . The motion was introduced one day after a federal judge in Florida issued a sweeping ruling against the law , siding with 26 states that had challenged the measure and setting up a likely Supreme Court challenge in the months ahead . A federal judge in eastern Virginia has also found the health care law unconstitutional , while two other federal judges , one in western Virginia and one in Michigan , have ruled the opposite . Twelve other federal judges have dismissed challenges to the law , according to the White House . CNN 's Alan Silverleib , Ted Barrett , Dana Bash and Tom Cohen contributed to this report .
November : All Senate Republicans vote for repeal , while Democrats try to defeat them . The Republican proposal fails on a procedural vote . The Senate eliminates a new clause associated with the health care law .