Stay on top of the latest movement without scrolling through every action
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
May 24, 2011 • 1:09 PM
Introduced in House
May 24, 2011
Considered as privileged matter. (consideration: CR H3353)
May 24, 2011 • 1:09 PM
Passed/agreed to in House: On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection.(text: CR H3353)
May 24, 2011 • 1:09 PM
On agreeing to the resolution Agreed to without objection. (text: CR H3353)
May 24, 2011 • 1:09 PM
Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
May 24, 2011 • 1:09 PM
What members said about H.Res. 274 on the floor
Madam Speaker, when it comes to health care in the United States low-income and minority people are underserved and uninsured, with this in mind the health care reform legislation was passed by…
Madam Speaker, when it comes to health care in the United States low-income and minority people are underserved and uninsured, with this in mind the health care reform legislation was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama on March 23 of 2010. This law ensures that all Americans have access to quality, affordable health care. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has determined that this law will provide coverage to 32 million more people, or more than 95 percent of Americans, while at the same time lowering health care costs over the long term and reducing the deficit by $138 billion through 2019, with $1.2 trillion additional deficit reduction in the following 10 years.
When considering this law I cannot help but think of the 52,000 children and families from the 7th district of Illinois that do not have coverage or have low-quality health care coverage. The Affordable Care Act provides the following benefits to these individuals:
Improves coverage for 334,000 residents with health insurance.
Gives tax credits and other assistance to up to 158,000 families and 14,100 small businesses to help them afford coverage.
Improves Medicare for 76,000 beneficiaries, including closing the donut hole. Extends coverage to 52,000 uninsured residents.
Guarantees that 11,500 residents with pre-existing conditions can obtain coverage.
Protects 1500 families from bankruptcy due to unaffordable health care costs.
Allows 60,000 young adults up to the age of 26 to obtain coverage on their parents' insurance plans.
Provides millions of dollars in new funding for 92 community health centers.
Reduces the cost of uncompensated care for hospitals and other health care providers by $222 million annually.
The Affordable Care Act will help begin to fill the Medicare Part D drug doughnut hole to reduce the cost burden for 76,000 beneficiaries in my district. It's going to extend coverage to 52,500 uninsured individuals who currently go to the county hospital. This legislation, in my mind, is the most impactful health legislation that we have seen since Medicare and Medicaid. The positive impact of this law extends beyond my district, to every district in our country.
The Affordable Care Act provides new ways to bring down costs and improve the quality of care for every individual, including those individuals who historically have had little to no health coverage. This is evident because each year more than 83,000 racial and ethnic minorities die as a result of lacking access to high quality and culturally competent health care. In turn, this cost us more than $300 billion every year. I am so thankful that there is finally equal access to health care coverage. We should be proud that now children, the elderly, low-income, and minorities can equally access preventative services, primary physicians, and urgent care. I believe the expansion of coverage to these individuals has a major impact on the health of the current generation, as well as future generations.
This law ensures that more than 17.6 million children with pre- existing conditions can no longer be denied quality coverage. It also allows children to stay on their parents' health insurance up to age 26. Now, 410,000 African-American and 736,000 Latino, young adults between the ages of 19-25, who would have been uninsured are now covered under their parents' health insurance. To date about 6.6 million young adults up to age 26 have already taken advantage of this section of the law, and have to obtained health coverage through their parents' plan. Considering 3.1 million of those young adults would be uninsured without this coverage, this law has made a major impact in young peoples' lives. I believe it is imperative to the future well- being of our country that we provide the upcoming generations with this form of adequate and equal healthcare coverage.
In addition, the law now includes a section regarding funding to states for home visitation programs. The funding provides a critical opportunity for federal, state, and local communities to improve the health and well-being of children and families. Quality, early childhood visitation is a proven and cost-effective method to improve schools readiness, well-being, and health for children and families. I truly believe in the importance of this provision that is
why we have worked bipartisantly for over five years to establish these evidenced based prevention grants to prepare our youngest citizens for success in school and life.
Older adults spend more money on health related costs than any other age group and they have the most health related needs, for this reason I am grateful that this law extends coverage to older adults. I am proud that we can now rest assured because, 4.5 million African American and 3.9 million Latino elderly and disabled who receive Medicare will have expanded access to preventative services with no cost-sharing, including annual wellness visits with personalized prevention plans, diabetes and colorectal cancer screening, bone mass measurements and mammograms. In fact, during 2011, 2.3 million seniors had a free Annual Wellness Visit under Medicare. We have seen this law continue to help older adults during 2012, with already 1.1 million seniors receiving a free visit within the past six months. We should also note that in 2011, 32.5 million seniors received one or more free preventive services. I believe this is outstanding, and with 14 million seniors having already received these services this year, we can anticipate even more seniors being served by the end 2012.
I am proud that the Affordable Care Act also includes the Community First Choice Option, it is a provision I have worked very hard on. This law is a major step forward to ending Medicaid's institutional bias by allowing states to give individuals with disabilities who are Medicaid eligible and who require an institutional level of care to choose between receiving care at home or in a nursing facility. Receiving community-based services and supports is critical to allowing people to lead independent lives, play an active role in day-to-day family life, have jobs, and participate in their communities. These are services our older adult population and citizens with disabilities need. It will keep them stronger and healthier longer.
I am extremely happy that in 2014 Medicaid coverage will expand to include families with incomes at or below 133 percent of the federal poverty guidelines. Our public health care system is overloaded and stretched past the breaking point and the extension of Medicaid is critical to sustaining that system. This expansion will now include adults without dependent children living at home; this is a population that has previously not been eligible in most states. This ensures that all individuals have equal access to health care coverage. I will be watching closely to ensure that this provision of the law is implemented in a manner consistent with the best interests of the American people.
The Affordable Care Act has expanded coverage to minority and low- income individuals, who have historically had the lowest heath care coverage. In fact, it is estimated that by 2016, 3.8 million African Americans and 5.4 million Latinos, who would otherwise be uninsured will gain coverage. This means that by 2016, 6.2 million Americans who would otherwise have to go to the emergency room for a minor ear ache now has the opportunity to go to a primary physician at a medical home. Also, starting in August, millions of women will begin receiving free coverage for a package of comprehensive women's preventive services. This allows us to anticipate lower rates of prenatal medical issues and that future generations will be born healthy.
The law also provides funding to improve quality of care and management of chronic diseases that are more prevalent amongst African Americans and Latinos. This will ensure that individuals with chronic diseases can receive the medication and care needed for their wellbeing. It is reassuring to know that 105 million Americans will no longer have a lifetime limit on their coverage.
I feel that one of the greatest benefits of the Affordable Care Act are the laws that assists medical institutions in eliminating disparities that both African Americans and Latinos face in their heath care services. More funding is now going towards data collection and research about health disparities. The second part of this funding extends to increase racial and ethnic diversity of health care professionals and strengthen cultural competency training among providers. This will improve diversity and equality in the health care industry. In fact it is estimated that by 2014 the percentage of African Americans in the National Service Corps will increase from 6 percent to 18 percent, and the percentage of Latinos will increase from 5 percent to 21 percent. This is an amazing improvement that I am proud to witness during my service. I hope that this increase in diversity inspires and empowers the next generation of doctors, nurses and surgeons to advocate for even further health care equality for all people.
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, more than 2 years ago, we put forth a vision for America's middle class to ensure health care would be not a privilege for a few but a right for all…
I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, more than 2 years ago, we put forth a vision for America's middle class to ensure health care would be not a privilege for a few but a right for all Americans.
Today and yesterday--for the past 2 days--as they've done more than 30 times in this Congress, the Republicans are set to take away that right. Over the past 2 days, we have heard the talking points of the health insurance industry. They're trying to drown out the facts, and the facts are these:
What is the takeaway from this debate? The takeaway is the protections House Republicans are voting to take away from America's families:
Today, up to 17 million children have the right to health care coverage even if they have diabetes, asthma, leukemia, or any other preexisting medical condition. Put an ``X'' next to that. Republicans want to take away protections for children with preexisting conditions;
Today, all young adults have the right to get insurance on their parents' policies. Republicans want to take away that right from America's students and young people. Where we have that coverage for young adults, put an ``X'' next to that;
Today, 5.3 million seniors have saved $3.7 billion on their prescription drugs. Republicans want to take away prescription drug savings for seniors;
Today, small business owners have used tax credits to help them afford insurance already for 2 million additional people, and the bill is not fully in effect. Republicans want to take away the tax credits for businesses to help their entrepreneurship and job creation;
Today, nearly 13 million Americans are set to benefit from $1.1 billion in rebates from health insurance companies. Republicans want to take away those cost savings from America's families;
Today, American women have free coverage. They have a right to free coverage for lifesaving preventative care like mammograms. Starting in August, women will gain free access to a full package of preventative services. No longer will a woman be a preexisting medical condition, but Republicans want to take away those protections from women and all Americans.
Many across the country have heard our Republican colleagues claim that very few people are affected by the preexisting condition provision of the law. The fact is: The Republicans are wrong. The fact is--you be the judge--138 million Americans have preexisting medical conditions.
I ask our friends on the other side of the aisle: Do you know anybody with breast cancer? with prostate cancer? with asthma? with diabetes? people
with disabilities? The list goes on and on. With this bill that you have on the floor today, you will take away their rights to affordable coverage.
That is why the American Cancer Society opposes this repeal effort and their ``13 million cancer patients and survivors who need access to adequate and affordable coverage.'' That's why they oppose this repeal effort, the American Cancer Society.
Do any of you know the millions of Americans living with a disability? With this bill, you take away their rights to quality, affordable care.
That's why Easter Seals wrote:
Millions of parents of children with disabilities are
breathing a huge sigh of relief knowing their children
will not be dropped from their insurance.
Do you know any parents of children with diabetes or asthma or childhood leukemia? Do you know any? With this bill, you will take away the rights of these children to affordable care throughout their lives.
That's why the American Diabetes Association, on behalf of the nearly 26 million Americans with diabetes, urged us to oppose this bill in order to ``protect people with diabetes who for too long have been discriminated against because of their disease.''
My Republican colleagues are taking away patient protections for millions of Americans, protections you as Members of Congress already enjoy. I think that that's an undermining of fundamental fairness. If you repeal this bill, it means you keep your Federal health insurance benefits while you take these patient protections away from the American people. What a Valentine to the health insurance industry.
When I think of people protected by this law, I always remember the powerful testimonial at a hearing last year from Stacie Ritter, whose twin daughters, Hannah and Madeleine, are both cancer survivors. They're 4 years old, and both were diagnosed with leukemia. Hannah and Madeleine faced stem cell transplants, chemotherapy, and total body irradiation. Yet, over time, Stacie said, ``We ended up bankrupt even with full insurance coverage.''
Today, Hannah and Madeleine are happy, healthy 13-year-olds. According to Stacie:
My children now have protections from insurance
discrimination based on their preexisting cancer condition.
They will never have to fear the rescission of their
insurance policy if they get sick. They can look forward to
lower health insurance costs and preventative care.
We passed the Affordable Care Act for people like Stacie, Hannah, and Madeleine, and we passed it for some of the people we heard from today at an earlier meeting. I urge my colleagues to think about them and to think about Stacie and her children when they cast a vote to take away their rights and protections.
Here is what the Affordable Care Act is about:
It's about strengthening the middle class, honoring the entrepreneurial spirit of our country, putting medical decisions in the hands of patients and their doctors. This is about innovation, prevention, wellness. It's about the good health of America as well as good health care for America. It's about restoring and reigniting the American Dream and living up to the vows of our Founders of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It's about a healthier life, the liberty and freedom to pursue happiness as defined by your own passions and your own talents and your own skills and your own aspirations. If you want to start a business, if you want to be self-employed, if you want to change jobs, you are not job-locked because your decision about your job, your career, and your life has to be predicated by your health insurance company.
That's what this freedom is in this 1 week from the Fourth of July that we celebrate with this bill.
Now, to make the American Dream a reality for all, Republicans must stop this effort to take away patient protections from Americans.
Let's review again what the GOP is taking away from Americans. This is the takeaway from this debate:
Take away, the Republicans say, protections from children with preexisting conditions; take away prescription drug savings for seniors; take away coverage for young adults; take away preventative health services for women; take away the no lifetime limits, which are so important to so many families in our country.
We must work together on America's top priorities--job creation and economic growth. This bill creates 4 million jobs. It reduces the deficit. It enables our society to have the vitality of everyone rising to their aspirations without being job-locked, as I said.
The American people want us to create jobs. That's what we should be using this time on the floor for, not on this useless bill to nowhere-- bill to nowhere--that does serious damage to the health and economic well-being of America's families.
I urge my colleagues to vote ``no'' on this bill. Let us move forward together to strengthen the economy and to strengthen the great middle class, which is the backbone of our democracy.
Hello, My name is Aracely Rodriguez. I am from San Diego,
CA and I work everyday to ensure that Latina women have
access to comprehensive affordable health services from a
trusted provider.
I have the opportunity to experience first hand what a
difference the Affordable Care Act will be for women,
particularly women of color. It is hard for me to believe
that anyone would want to take away there critical new
benefits for women all over this country.
We know the Affordable Care Act will make insurance more
affordable and provide more choices to women and their
families. As a result of the Affordable Care Act 14 million
women will be newly insured.
Today, about 39 percent of Latinas are uninsured--that is
more than women of any other racial or ethnic group.
The Affordable Care Act will ensure that women have access
to preventative health services such as mammograms and life
saving cancer screenings--and in August, many women will have
access to even more preventive health services such as well-
women visits and birth control without co-pays or
deductibles.
Access to birth control is a critical issue to many Latinas
and their families. Over 50 percent of all Latinas have
experienced a time in their lives when the cost of
prescription birth control made it difficult for them to
consistently use it.
The Affordable Care Act will end gender discrimination once
and for all--so that women are not charged more for insurance
than men.
This is what health reform means to women's health in our
communities. ``Being a woman is not a pre-existing
condition.''
Madam Speaker, it is my honor to yield 1 minute to the Speaker of the House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner). Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam), the…
Madam Speaker, it is my honor to yield 1 minute to the Speaker of the House, the gentleman from Ohio (Mr. Boehner).
Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. Roskam), the chief deputy whip.
Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from Texas (Mr. Hensarling), the Republican conference chairman.
Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Scott).
I yield the gentleman an additional 30 seconds.
Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington, the Republican Conference vice chair, Mrs. McMorris Rodgers.
Madam Speaker, I yield 1\1/2\ minutes to the gentleman from Georgia, the Republican Policy Committee chairman, Dr. Price.
Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the majority whip, the gentleman from California (Mr. McCarthy).
Madam Speaker, I am prepared to close and reserve the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I introduced this legislation on behalf of my colleagues so that we may all be on record following the Supreme Court's decision in order to show that the House rejects ObamaCare and that we are committed to taking this flawed law off the books.
This is a law, Madam Speaker, that the American people did not want when it was passed, and it remains a law that the American people do not want now.
First and foremost, ObamaCare violates President Obama's central promise to the American people that if they like their current health coverage, they can keep it. The vast majority of people in this country like the health care that they have and they want to keep it. But now, thanks to this law, patients across the Nation are losing access to the health care they like. Millions stand to lose health care coverage from their employers because ObamaCare is driving up costs and effectively forcing employers to drop health care coverage.
Beyond that, ObamaCare takes away from patients the ability to make their own decisions and individual choices. Instead of letting patients and their families work with their doctors to decide the best care, ObamaCare puts Washington in the driver's seat to make health care choices for them and their families.
Taking away choice, driving up costs, and making health care dramatically more expensive is not the prescription that Americans asked for.
Madam Speaker, we know in this tough economy we need to be doing everything we can to help our small businessmen and -women. They are struggling because of uncertainty and facing the prospect of one of the largest tax hikes in history. ObamaCare increases that burden by adding new costs and more red tape. The new harsh reality is that creating new jobs and bringing on new employees may just be too expensive and too burdensome if this law is left to stand.
The President said throughout the health care debate--as did former Speaker Pelosi and my colleagues on the other side of the aisle--that his health care law was not a tax. Well, we now know that the Supreme Court has spoken: It is a tax. Madam Speaker, it's time to stop all the broken promises and get back to the kind of health care people in this country want.
It cannot be overlooked that ObamaCare also has disastrous implications for the moral fabric of our Nation. Despite the claims to the contrary, this law actually paves the way for Federal funding of abortion, violating many individuals' religious, ethical, and moral beliefs. It is also the basis from which President Obama launched an assault on the religious freedom of millions of Americans by requiring employers to cover items and services with which they--and perhaps their employees--fundamentally disagree.
Washington-based care is not the answer. There is a better way to go about improving the health care system in this country. The American people want patient-centered care that allows them to make the very personal decisions about health care with their families and their doctors. They want to keep the care they like. They want to see costs come down, and they want health care to be more accessible. That is the kind of health care we on the Republican side of the aisle support, and frankly the type of care that the vast majority of the American people support.
Madam Speaker, we have said since day one that we must fully repeal this law. Today, we can start over and we can tell the American people, we are on your side, we care about your health care, and we want quality care at affordable cost. We listened, and we've acted.
I yield back the balance of my time.
Madam Speaker, I rise to express my support for the bill before us today that would repeal the health care law. The new health care law is unworkable, unaffordable, compromises the doctor-patient…
Madam Speaker, I rise to express my support for the bill before us today that would repeal the health care law. The new health care law is unworkable, unaffordable, compromises the doctor-patient relationship, and undermines individual liberty and personal freedom. It was for these reasons and others that I opposed the bill two years ago.
Let's remember that this health care law was drafted behind closed doors and the American people were told by congressional leaders at the time that Congress had to pass it so that the American people could see what was in the 2,000-page bill. Americans have begun to see more of what is in the bill, and according to the latest polls most Americans want the law repealed. Dozens of states, including Florida, have indicated that they will do what the Supreme Court has said they can do, and that is to refuse to implement key components of the law.
For America's senior citizens there are key provisions of this law that are of great concern. The Congressional Budget Office's March 1, 2010 analysis concluded that the health care law cuts Medicare spending by at least $500 billion. It also leaves in place the flawed Medicare physician payment system that threatens senior's access to physicians as it allows a 33% reimbursement cut to take effect on December 31, 2012. This will harm seniors' access to medical care.
The new health care law makes deep cuts to Medicare Advantage plans, which will result in millions of seniors' losing their MA health plans. In fact, millions of seniors' were scheduled to lose their MA plans on December 31, 2012, except that the Administration ``found'' money to plug the hole for one year so that seniors would not receive a letter two months from now telling them that their MA health plan would no longer be available to them. Seniors are also very concerned about the Independent Payment Advisory Board (IPAB), which has broad unbridled authority to unilaterally eliminate Medicare benefits. IPAB must be repealed.
Americans were promised that they would be able to keep their current health care plan, but millions of Americans would have already lost their plan had a temporary waiver not been granted to simply delay their loss until next year. Millions more will lose their current coverage and be forced into government directed health care in 2014 if this law is not repealed.
Americans were told that the law would save money and would ``only'' cost $938 billion. However, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) recently raised the 10-year cost of the law to $1.8 trillion. The United States has a national debt of over $16 trillion and we simply cannot afford the new law, as it will continue to saddle future generations of Americans with debt they cannot possibly repay.
We were promised the health care law would ``lower your premiums by $2,500 per family'' by the end of 2012. But even the Kaiser Family Foundation's 2011 Annual Health Benefits Survey found that premiums increased by over $1,200 in just the first year since the law's passage and they expect premiums to continue climbing.
We do not need the health care law's 159 new federal agencies and boards that are being created to stand between you and your doctor. Twelve of the nearly two dozen new taxes included in the law will specifically increase taxes on those making less than
$250,000 a year. These new taxes will not make health care any cheaper, but will further add to the tax burden that is straining family budgets and hampering the ability of small businesses to create jobs.
While I believe that there are shortcomings in our health care system, this health care law was the wrong prescription, and it is for that reason it should be repealed and replaced with a plan based on individual choice, personal liberty and economic freedom.
Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to our Democratic leader, the gentlelady from San Francisco, California, without whom there would not be an Affordable Care Act, and we greatly appreciate her efforts.…
Madam Speaker, I yield 1 minute to our Democratic leader, the gentlelady from San Francisco, California, without whom there would not be an Affordable Care Act, and we greatly appreciate her efforts.
Madam Speaker, at this time, I yield 3 minutes to our distinguished whip from Maryland (Mr. Hoyer), a person who understands what it means to make it in America.
I yield the gentleman an additional 1 minute.
Madam Speaker, at this time, I yield 2 minutes to the distinguished gentleman from South Carolina (Mr. Clyburn), a leader in the Democratic Caucus.
Madam Speaker, I yield myself 30 seconds.
To respond here, as Mr. Andrews has very patiently and eloquently pointed out, the $500 billion that was just discussed by the previous speaker is something that the Republicans have voted on twice. Perhaps they didn't get a chance to read that bill as they sometimes claim about health care on this side.
I yield 2 minutes to the vice chair of the Democratic Caucus, the gentleman from California (Xavier Becerra).
It gives me great honor to yield 1 minute to the dean of the Connecticut delegation and a voice for compassion and who believes passionately about this health care law that's in effect for the American people, Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut.
I yield the gentlewoman an additional 10 seconds.
Madam Speaker, may I inquire as to how much time we have on both sides.
I yield 1 minute to the gentleman from California (Mr. George Miller).
I yield myself 15 seconds as we ask the dean of the delegation to step forward and just say that aside from the platitudes that we've heard today as have been expressed by many on our side and some of the eloquence of debate that we've heard, we continue to see no plan from the other side but a persistent endeavor to repeal a plan that would cost more than a hundred billion dollars for the taxpayers.
I yield 1 minute to the dean of the House of Representatives, the gentleman from Michigan, John Dingell.
(Mr. DINGELL asked and was given permission to revise and extend his remarks.)
Thank you, Madam Speaker.
I want to compliment both sides for the quality of debate that has occurred on this floor over the last couple of days.
Today, we are here for the 31st time to act on repealing the Affordable Care Act. I give my colleagues credit for their persistence, but I'm deeply troubled by the obstinacy and the obstruction that they have demonstrated in an almost callow indifference to the needs of American families. Most importantly, the simple dignity that comes from a job that more than 14 million of our Americans are being denied, and we can't, in this great civil body, bring forward the President's bill that will create jobs.
One of the people in my district, Signe Martin, said, do you not understand that you have plunged us into the dark abyss of uncertainty?
The only thing that creates and corrects that situation is the simple dignity that comes from a job. And yet today, we spend our time on the floor talking about something where we should be working together, where Members on our side of the aisle, who would have preferred Medicare for everyone--the majority of our caucus would have been there--and yet embraced the compromise that extolled the virtues of the Romney plan in Massachusetts. But there is no room for compromise on the other side of the aisle.
So we can only surmise this: that you would rather see the President fail than the American people succeed. Person after person on both sides of the aisle have gotten up and talked about the need for us to come together. You embrace most everything that's in this plan but would rather see the President fail than the Nation succeed.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the 31st attempt to undermine the Affordable Care Act. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, tens of millions of Americans are already receiving…
Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to the 31st attempt to undermine the Affordable Care Act. Since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, tens of millions of Americans are already receiving better care as well as better value for their health care dollars. Already, Americans are benefiting from the provisions that have been implemented. In fact, 6.6 million young Americans now have health coverage until age 26, 105 million Americans are no longer facing lifetime limits on health benefits, and 17 million children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be denied coverage.
Instead of focusing on jobs legislation, Republicans are once again trying to take away patient protections by seeking to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Instead of providing solutions to the provisions in the law that they would like to see changed, they would rather repeal the whole law and all the positive changes that come along with it. This constant push to take away patient protections is no longer based on logic, but is clearly a partisan political ploy to score cheap points at the expense of millions of Americans.
We should turn our efforts to tackling our nation's larger problems, such as the economy and job creation. Let's move beyond this vote and demonstrate our commitment to the American people.
My Republican colleagues have requested that we work together, but, as they seek to once again make America a country where millions of people are uninsured and unable to afford health care, their actions speak louder than their words.
The Republican proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act would affect thousands of El Paso residents who are already benefiting from the law, including the 52,000 children who are no longer denied insurance due to pre-existing conditions, the 2,900 seniors who have saved $1.8 million in drug costs, and the over 360 small businesses who received new tax credits to help them expand health care coverage to their employees.
Republicans seem to forget how things were before the Affordable Care Act. For example, one family in my district faced significant health care related financial difficulties. They had a daughter with a severe disability who had undergone 17 surgeries, numerous hospitalizations, required constant care, and treatment that cost up to $2,000 a month. The couple's private insurance company implemented lifetime caps to prevent a major loss of profits at the expense of the health of the young girl. As a result, the family had to cover the medical expenses out of pocket and went bankrupt. While the current Affordable Care Act would prevent private insurance companies from using lifetime cap provisions to bar critical services to patients like this young girl, this couple's private insurance took advantage of the lax regulations at the time and left the family to fend for themselves.
There are countless other examples of El Pasoans who faced similar situations. There are those who had been denied coverage because of pre-existing conditions and others
who faced similar situations with insurance companies who took advantage of lax health care oversight. That was then--now, the Affordable Care Act gives families the opportunity to have the best life possible.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to reject this misguided legislation.
Let me thank my colleague for yielding, and say to my colleagues, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6079, a legislation that would repeal the President's health care law. When this bill passed,…
Let me thank my colleague for yielding, and say to my colleagues, I rise today in strong support of H.R. 6079, a legislation that would repeal the President's health care law.
When this bill passed, we were promised that the health care law would lower costs and help create jobs. One congressional leader even suggested it would create 400,000 new jobs.
Well, guess what? It didn't happen. This bill's making our economy worse, driving up the cost of health care, and making it harder for small businesses to hire new workers.
The American people were told that they'd come to like this bill once it was passed. Well, that didn't happen either. Most Americans not only oppose this law, but they fully support repealing it.
The American people were told that taxes on the middle class wouldn't go up if this bill passed. Well, guess what? There are 21 tax increases in this health care law, and at least a dozen of them hit the middle class.
And let me just give you a glimpse of the damage that all these tax hikes will do to our economy. A tax on health insurance providers will end up costing up to 249,000 jobs, according to the National Federation of Independent Business.
A tax on health care manufacturers will put as many as 47,000 jobs in jeopardy, according to one nonpartisan estimate. Then you've got the employer mandate, which will affect every job creator with 50 or more employees.
Let's take White Castle, a company in my home State. They say that the employer mandate would eat up most of their net income starting in 2014. And that's on account of just one provision in the law.
And then there's the individual mandate that the Supreme Court has now ruled is a massive tax. The Congressional Budget Office says that roughly 20 million Americans will either have to pay this tax or be forced to buy insurance that they wouldn't have purchased otherwise.
You add it all up, the tax increases in this health care law will take at least $675 billion out of our pockets over the next 10 years. All this at a time when employers are just trying to get by.
Listen, I think there's a better way, and that's why we're here today. Americans want a step-by-step approach that protects the access to care that they need from the doctor they choose at a lower cost. They certainly didn't ask for this government takeover of their health care system that's put us in this mess that we're in today.
At the beginning of this Congress, the House voted to repeal this health care law. It was our pledge to America, and we kept it. Unfortunately, our colleagues in the Senate refused to follow suit, and since then, we've made some bipartisan progress on repealing parts of this harmful health care law, including the 1099 paperwork mandate.
But this law continues to make our economy worse, and there's even more resolve to see that it is fully repealed.
Now, I think this is an opportunity to save our economy. And for those who still support repealing this harmful health care law, we're giving our colleagues in the Senate another chance to heed the will of the American people. And for those who did not support repeal the last time, it's a chance for our colleagues to reconsider. For all of us, it's an opportunity to do the right thing for our country.
I thank my friend. Repeal it and replace it. For the 31st time, we have a repeal with no replacement, no alternative, no protection offered by my Republican colleagues--not one. You could, of course,…
I thank my friend.
Repeal it and replace it. For the 31st time, we have a repeal with no replacement, no alternative, no protection offered by my Republican colleagues--not one.
You could, of course, introduce legislation that would say, We're going to repeal and replace with this. You haven't done it. So the American people have no idea.
We're on the floor today with the distinguished gentleman from Michigan who himself, and his father before him a half a century ago, said: Americans need the security of having the guarantee of access to affordable quality health care.
That's what we did.
Madam Speaker, after the landmark Supreme Court ruling upholding the Affordable Care Act, Americans are ready to move on. Yet here we're again voting for the 31st time on a bill to repeal the health care law with no replacement, no alternative, no protections. That's not what we ought to be focused on.
Americans want us to create jobs and to grow our economy. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll last week, 56 percent of Americans believe that opponents of the law should drop attempts to block its implementation. It's time for Republicans to end their relentless obsession with taking away health care benefits for millions of Americans.
If this bill were to pass, insurance companies could once again discriminate against 17 million children with preexisting conditions. If it were to pass, 30 million Americans would lose their health insurance coverage. It would take away $651 each from 5.3
million seniors in the Medicare doughnut hole, making their prescription drugs more expensive. There would be 360,000 small businesses no longer able to claim a tax credit to help cover their employees. And 6.6 million young adults under 26 would be forced off their parents' plans and left to face a tough job market with the added pressure of being uninsured.
The Republican repeal bill would take away these benefits and end these cost-saving measures. And after 31 votes, as I said, no alternative, nothing. There is no bill to read, no plan to follow, no security to offer. Repealing health care without an alternative would add over $1 trillion to deficits over the next two decades. I don't say that. The Congressional Budget Office says that.
It is occurring in the place of a vote that we could be taking on legislation to create jobs. There is nothing about jobs this week, nothing last week, nothing scheduled for next week, or the week after. It's a waste of time.
Why is it a waste of time? Because the Republican majority knows that it will not pass the United States Senate, and it would not be signed by the President of the United States. It's a message bill. It's politics as usual. It is spurring the base while spurning the average working American.
I outlined several proposals yesterday that are bipartisan in nature and ought to come to this floor immediately. It's called ``Make It in America.'' Let's vote on those bills. Let's vote on those bills to create opportunities, not this one to take them away.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to oppose this bill, and let us work together constructively for a better economic future for our people, more economic security, more health care security, and a better America.
What will happen if the House majority succeeds in repealing the Affordable Care Act? Seventeen million children with preexisting conditions will once again be denied coverage; 6.6 million under 26…
What will happen if the House majority succeeds in repealing the Affordable Care Act? Seventeen million children with preexisting conditions will once again be denied coverage; 6.6 million under 26 will no longer be covered by their parents' insurance plan; insurers will be allowed to discriminate against women again, charge them more, deny them coverage because they've had a Cesarean section, and leave maternity and pediatric care out of their policies. The doughnut hole reopens, costing seniors billions of dollars; 360,000 small businesses lose tax credits. Americans will have to pay out-of- pocket for preventive services like cancer screenings and wellness exams, preventive services that could have saved the life of Celia, a 50-year-old East Haven woman who died from breast cancer because she simply could not afford a mammogram. And 30,000 Americans will lose their health insurance and be left to their fate while every single Republican in this House will maintain their health care coverage.
Repealing the Affordable Care Act is wrong. It was wrong the first time. It is wrong the 31st time. Welcome to Groundhog Day in the House of Representatives.
This majority needs to stop working to put American families at risk and start working to make our economy healthy.
Madam Speaker, if the Majority succeeds in repealing the Affordable Care Act, as they have tried to do over thirty times now, it will be the women of America who are especially harmed.
Insurance companies will be allowed to charge women more for the same coverage once again. They will be able to withhold coverage from women who have had a child or a C-section, or even who have been victims of domestic violence.
Coverage for maternity and pediatric care will all disappear. Women will lose access to the free recommended preventive screenings that save lives. Subsidies to help working mothers buy insurance for their families will dry up.
We know for a fact this will happen. According to the National Women's Law Center, over 90 percent of the best-selling plans in states that have not already banned gender rating still charge women more than men for the same coverage. This costs women and their families approximately $1 billion a year.
And this is what the House Majority wants to bring us back to. We fought hard two years ago to put woman's health on an equal footing with that of her spouse, son, and brother at last. We should build on that, not throw it all away.
If the Majority wants us to think they care about women's health, it is time for them to walk the walk. That means stopping these partisan political games, and allowing the fully constitutional reforms in the Affordable Care Act to work for women.
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the ``Repeal of Obamacare Act'' before us today. I commend our Leadership for bringing this bill to the Floor so quickly to enable us to start the important…
Madam Speaker, I rise in support of the ``Repeal of Obamacare Act'' before us today. I commend our Leadership for bringing this bill to the Floor so quickly to enable us to start the important process of repealing and replacing this job-destroying healthcare law. Our vote today demonstrates once again our commitment to our constituents that we will protect them from government interference with their relationship with their doctors and fulfills our promise that we will protect all Americans from new taxes on the middle class.
I strongly support healthcare reform, for example, by offering tax credits for individuals to purchase healthcare insurance, by allowing small businesses to pool together beyond state lines, thus gaining bargaining leverage to purchase more affordable health insurance policies for their workers, and by prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage due to pre-existing conditions.
As we begin the process of replacing Obamacare with commonsense reforms that lower healthcare costs for families and small businesses and increase access to affordable quality care, we must ensure that the replacement includes critical Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico and the other territories. The funding, originally added to Obamacare legislation because it was the sole legislative vehicle available at the time, has just begun to reverse federal policy that has treated our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico inequitably. Where previously Washington paid less than 20 percent of Puerto Rico's Medicaid costs, the federal government is now paying 35 percent of the cost of the program. This is a step in the right direction, but still far below equal treatment. By comparison, the federal government pays nearly 70 percent for the District of Columbia's program and 75 percent for Mississippi's program. How can we continue to ask the U.S. citizens of Puerto Rico to do their share in service to our country--with hundreds of thousands serving honorably in the U.S. military--when the federal government isn't doing its part to treat them fairly in federal programs like Medicaid? This isn't about a hand out, but rather a level playing field to provide a fair and just level of medical care to every American citizen.
I have voted to repeal Obamacare, and will continue to do so until we prevail, and intend to work on reform measures that include access to high quality health care at affordable costs. Ensuring the current levels of Medicaid funding for Puerto Rico and the territories must be part of that reform effort.
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, I've heard so many of my Democrat colleagues come to the floor and question why are we here to vote to repeal the President's health care program.…
I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, I've heard so many of my Democrat colleagues come to the floor and question why are we here to vote to repeal the President's health care program. Let me offer a few reasons.
Number one, the American people don't want it. The longer people have to know this bill, the more intense they are in wanting to see it repealed.
Reason number two is we hear from our friends on the other side of the aisle that the Supreme Court said it was constitutional. Well, the $5 trillion of additional debt that they and President Obama have foisted on the American people, it's constitutional, but, Madam Speaker, it is not wise.
Seniors know that the President's health care program cut a half a trillion dollars out of Medicare. The Independent Payment Advisory Board is 1 of 159 boards, commissions, and programs that will get between Americans and their doctors. The Independent Payment Advisory Board, they're there to help ration health care for seniors. That's another reason.
I just heard the distinguished leader of the Democrat Party saying we should be talking about jobs and the economy. Madam Speaker, these are the very same people who told us the stimulus bill would help jobs, would help the economy. The stimulus bill was not a jobs bill. Repeal of ObamaCare is a jobs bill.
Talk to any small business person across America that has 40, 45 workers, and they will tell you: We're not going to go to 50. We're not going to do that. We're not going to hire those extra people.
Talk to a tool and die manufacturer like I have in my district in Jacksonville, Texas. Half of their business comes from the medical device industry. You know what? He told me that ObamaCare, with the medical device tax, is going to force him to lay off workers.
The employer mandate costs jobs. The Congressional Budget Office, which the gentleman from Maryland just cited, they, themselves, said this will cost 800,000 jobs. Private economists say it will cost 1 to 2 million jobs. The Chamber of Commerce just did a survey of small businesses. Seventy-four percent said this makes it more difficult to hire.
So after the President just turned in his 41st straight month of 8 percent-plus unemployment, the worst jobs and economic performance since the Great Depression, maybe it's time for a true jobs bill, Madam Speaker, and a true jobs bill is to repeal ObamaCare. The American people do not want it. We can't afford it. Job creators are losing jobs.
Let's repeal it, and repeal it today.
Madam Speaker, when I first ran for Congress in 1992, I pledged to my constituents that I would use the political process to improve the lives of people and communities of the Second Congressional…
Madam Speaker, when I first ran for Congress in 1992, I pledged to my constituents that I would use the political process to improve the lives of people and communities of the Second Congressional District of Georgia. For this reason, I supported the Affordable Care Act in 2010 because I believed that it would make a significant difference in making health care more affordable and more accessible.
I still believe in the effectiveness of the law more than two years after its enactment. In fact, it is needed now more than ever. My District has high rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and obesity. Many of my constituents cannot get health insurance because they have reached their lifetime limit or they have a pre-existing condition. I also have heard from seniors who cannot afford their prescription drugs because they have fallen into Medicare's ``donut hole,'' small businesses owners who find the cost of health insurance to be too high, and residents of rural communities who must travel long distances to find a doctor.
They deserve better. We all do.
Repealing the Affordable Care Act would be a significant setback for these Georgians as well as the entire nation. According to a Washington Post editorial Tuesday, since the health reform law was enacted, increases in national health expenditures have slowed, saving Americans more than $220 billion. In Georgia alone, the closure of the ``donut hole'' in coverage to date has saved Medicare recipients over $13 million. Already over three million residents are free from worrying about lifetime limits on coverage. The law's insurance reforms, which already have taken effect, will allow 123,000 young Georgians stay on their parents' plan until age 26 and ensure the protection of over 26 million children nationwide with pre-existing conditions.
Now that it has been upheld by the United States Supreme Court, we must work together to ensure that the Affordable Care Act remains the law of land so that America can be a healthier, more prosperous, and more just nation.
What I said two years ago still holds true today. As a man of faith, I know that Jesus taught us to provide and care for others, especially the ``least of these,'' or those that have few advocates. I believe He would take care of this immediate need of the people and not let them fend for themselves. This law goes a long way toward living up to this moral principle, and I urge my colleagues to oppose its repeal.
I thank our respected leader for yielding. From the moment ObamaCare was introduced, House Republicans and the American people have expressed concerns about the quality, the cost, and the effect that…
I thank our respected leader for yielding.
From the moment ObamaCare was introduced, House Republicans and the American people have expressed concerns about the quality, the cost, and the effect that it would have on jobs. We're here today because the Supreme Court ruling made one thing clear: it's up to Congress to do the repeal of the devastating tax increase and what it would effect upon our economy.
As we all know, ObamaCare stands today because the Supreme Court said it's constitutional as a tax. The Chief Justice stated in his opinion:
Members of this Court are vested with the authority to
interpret the law; we possess neither the expertise nor the
prerogative to make policy judgments. Those decisions are
entrusted to our Nation's elected leaders, who can be thrown
out of office if the people disagree with them. It is not our
job to protect the people from the consequences of their
political choices.
But it is our job. And, unfortunately, we have learned over the past 2 years this law has proven to be bad policy. And you know what's more important? It's filled with broken promises.
We all remember President Obama's first promise: if you like the health care you have today, you can keep it. Well, that's not true. Eighty percent of those in small employer plans risk even keeping what they have today. The President also promised the law would bring down premiums by $2,500. But that's not true either because it's already been increased $1,200. The CBO says it will even rise higher.
President Obama did promise as I sat right here and listened to him that he would not add one dime to the deficit. Well, you know what? That's not true either. It's going to add billions of dollars. President Obama promised he would not raise taxes on those making less than $250,000. It turns out ObamaCare includes 21 new taxes--12 of them on the middle class.
Promises made, promises broken.
There was another President from Illinois who was quoted as saying:
As our case is new, so we must think anew, and act anew. We
must disenthrall ourselves, and then we shall save our
country.
Well, now is the time to listen to the American people. Now is the time to put the patient first while they are empowered. Now is the time to repeal and begin to bring this country back together with a quality of health care where the patient has the choice, not the government.
I thank my good friend for yielding. This is the gavel I used when I presided over the passage of Medicare and when I presided over the passage of legislation called ACA. This legislation takes care…
I thank my good friend for yielding.
This is the gavel I used when I presided over the passage of Medicare and when I presided over the passage of legislation called ACA. This legislation takes care of the American people. I'm willing to loan it to my Republican colleagues if they'll use it in a good cause. It's even been on television with ``The Daily Show.''
But what is important here is you're going to win the vote, but you're going to lose the case and the debate because the American people know what you're trying to take away from them. This is the 31st time we've voted on this. And it is the law.
We have 44 days left to finish the business of this Congress, according to your whip's office. And interestingly enough, we're not going to deal with important questions like jobs, employment, the economy. We have the worst economy, which the President inherited, since the days of Herbert Hoover.
The American people are going to wonder why this Congress has not been doing it. Well, the reason is the Republicans have been wasting the public's time. And in those 44 days, they're not going to be able to do the Nation's business. The unemployed are going to continue to be unemployed.
I'll loan you the gavel if you promise to use it for something good because it's a fine piece of wood and its tasks in terms of dealing with the public's concerns are not yet done.
But having said these things, I say shame. You are wasting the time of the American people. You are wasting the time of the Congress.
You're wasting the time of the Congress. You've told us how you're going to repeal and replace. Where is the replacement? It is not to be seen. Where are the steps that you should be taking about jobs and opportunity for the American people? They are not to be seen.
You have the gavel, use it. Use the leadership that the people have given you to lead the Congress of the United States. The Democrats will work with you. But you won't work with us, and you won't work for the American people.
The time of dealing with the business of this Nation is short, and the needs of the American people are great. But nowhere are we seeing anything done by our Republican colleagues except to get up and denounce ObamaCare.
I say have a more enlightened outlook and proceed to do the Nation's business well.
I thank the chairman for yielding the time. It took 19 Presidents and 100 years dating back to President Teddy Roosevelt to open the door to all Americans, to quality health care that is centered on…
I thank the chairman for yielding the time.
It took 19 Presidents and 100 years dating back to President Teddy Roosevelt to open the door to all Americans, to quality health care that is centered on the patient-doctor relationship; 105 million Americans who will fall ill will no longer have a lifetime limit on the coverage they receive from their health insurance company.
Up to 17 million children today who have preexisting conditions cannot be denied coverage by an insurance company; 6.6 million young adults under the age of 26 today can stay on the health care policy of their parents; 5.3 million seniors today received an average $600 to help cover the cost of their prescription drugs when they fall into the so-called doughnut hole; 360,000 small businesses in America, men and women who own their own businesses, got assistance through a tax credit to help provide health insurance coverage to their employees. Thirteen million Americans will benefit in insurance premium rebates from insurance companies, who must now show that they are spending the premium money they get from those Americans for health care, not on paying CEO salaries or not on profits--$1.1 billion national rebates for 13 million Americans.
Perhaps the most important thing that most Americans don't recognize, the thousands of dollars that those of us who do have health insurance throughout America that we pay premiums to our insurance companies to cover care, not for us and our families, but for those of us who don't have insurance, the free-riders, that will start to drop. Those are the things that are at stake.
Yet while it took 100 years for us to get to this point, it has taken our Republican colleagues only a year and a half to vote over 30 times to try to repeal these patient rights and protections, patient rights and protections that President Obama promised, this Congress delivered, and the Supreme Court affirmed.
My Republican colleagues say that to repeal and replace these patient rights protections is the right way to go, but the only thing we have seen from them on this floor is all repeal and no replace. It's time for this Congress to get to work on the most important thing before us, getting Americans back to work. Let us vote this down and get to work.
Madam Speaker, I have some simple questions for those who support Obamacare . . . how does the hiring of over 16,000 new IRS agents provide anyone greater access to care? How does hiring 16,000 new…
Madam Speaker, I have some simple questions for those who support Obamacare . . . how does the hiring of over 16,000 new IRS agents provide anyone greater access to care? How does hiring 16,000 new IRS agents improve the doctor patient relationship? How does hiring 16,000 new IRS agents lower the cost of healthcare?
The fact is those new IRS agents won't do anything to improve healthcare because IRS agents don't help deliver affordable and accessible healthcare--they collect taxes and Obamacare is definitely chock full of new taxes to be collected.
Taxes on tanning, taxes on healthcare policies the government deems are too good, taxes on employers for providing health insurance the government deems is not good enough, taxes on income, taxes on drug manufacturers, taxes on medical devices, and even a massive new tax for not having health insurance.
While President Obama has done little to help create the private sector jobs we so desperately need in this country he has certainly done a lot to promote full employment among tax collectors.
The fact of the matter is those who wrote this bill sold it to Congress and the American people saying that the individual mandate was not a tax, and it is a massive new tax. And I would hazard to say that if it was sold as what it truly is then it never would have passed either the House or Senate.
Just before passage then Speaker Pelosi famously said we had to pass the bill to find out what's in it. Well the American people have found out what is in Obamacare and they don't like it one bit. Sure there may be parts that they like, but not the full trillion dollar monstrosity.
We can do better and the American people certainly deserve better.
Let's repeal this bill today, start over and give the American people what they want . . .
legislation that supports private sector solutions to reduce costs, improve access to care and strengthen the doctor patient relationship out of the reach of your local IRS agent.
Madam Speaker, today's vote by the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal the health care law will ensure continued scrutiny of a complex law that was wrongly rushed through the legislative process…
Madam Speaker, today's vote by the U.S. House of Representatives to repeal the health care law will ensure continued scrutiny of a complex law that was wrongly rushed through the legislative process and largely remains a mystery to a vast majority of the American people. Given that rising health care costs are the main driver of our Nation's long-term debt crisis, it is imperative for Congress to fully debate a policy that will have such dramatic ramifications for future generations of Americans.
The health care law was enacted more than two years ago. Yet health care costs continue to rise. Uncertain business owners are hesitant to invest and hire workers. And major portions of the law--including higher taxes on businesses, increased taxes on certain medical devices, and countless new regulations--have yet to even be implemented. This massive new entitlement program will cost taxpayers more than $2 trillion per decade, further burdening our already crippling national debt.
Truly reforming our health care system requires a common-sense, step- by-step approach that will lower costs and better ensure access to affordable, quality health care. Opponents of the health care law have long proposed alternative solutions--such as allowing small businesses to form health insurance pools and join together across state lines to purchase health insurance, medical malpractice liability reform, and insurance reforms addressing the issues of pre-existing conditions and allowing young adults to remain on their parents' plans--that would achieve these goals.
The status quo in health care is clearly unacceptable. A narrow majority of the Supreme Court may have upheld the constitutionality of the health care law last week, but that does not change the fact that this law is clearly bad public policy. Congress must continue to press for true, common-sense reforms focused on lowering the cost of health care for all Americans.
I thank the gentleman for yielding. As has been said, for the 31st time in this Congress the House Republicans are trying to put insurance companies back in charge of America's health care. The House…
I thank the gentleman for yielding.
As has been said, for the 31st time in this Congress the House Republicans are trying to put insurance companies back in charge of America's health care. The House Republicans are preoccupied with taking away the patient protections while they're keeping their own protections.
I recently got a letter from a woman named Annie who lives in East Bay of the San Francisco Bay area and she told me how vital this law is to her and her family. Her husband is self-employed. He has diabetes; and thanks to the Affordable Care Act, the husband will finally have access to quality, affordable coverage. Annie's daughter has a preexisting condition; and thanks to this law, the insurance companies won't be allowed to deny her daughter coverage. And Annie's son, a 25- year-old, thanks to this law, is able to get on his mother's health care plan and save the family a great deal of money.
But today, the Republicans want to take that all away. They want to take away all these protections and these benefits that American families haven't had in the past. Today, the Republicans in the Congress want to put the insurance companies back in the business--the same insurance companies that took away your policy when your child was born with a disability; the same insurance companies that didn't allow you to have cancer surgery because you had a lifetime limit or they decided you had a preexisting condition; the same insurance companies that decided that your children would be kicked off your policies when they're 18.
I don't think we should go there, America. But that's what repeal brings you. That's the Republican plan: to give it all back to the insurance companies. After a hundred years of struggling, take it away and give the power to the people to determine their own health care needs and the kind of policies that they need.
Mr. Larson, thank you for yielding me the time. Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this partisan charade to repeal the Affordable Care Act. This is the 31st time the majority has…
Mr. Larson, thank you for yielding me the time.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to this partisan charade to repeal the Affordable Care Act.
This is the 31st time the majority has orchestrated a vote to repeal in whole or in part this very important and long-awaited law to increase accessibility and decrease the cost of quality health care.
Fortunately, the other body rejected this ill-fated effort the first 30 times, and this 31st time will be no different. Why, then, are we having this debate?
Do my Republican colleagues really believe that the majority of the other body is now ready to take from children born with diabetes the right to coverage under their parents' health care policies?
Do my Republican colleagues really believe that a majority of the other body is now ready to take from children who are seeking employment the right to remain on their parents' health care policies up to their 26th birthday?
Do my Republican colleagues really believe that a majority of the other body is now ready to take from a woman with breast cancer, or a man with prostate cancer, the right to keep their coverage once they get sick?
The American people are smarter than that. They know the deal. They do not wish to be taken down this primrose path for the 31st time. The American people want stability in their lives, security for their families, and safety in their communities.
Americans want us to stop jerking them around. They cannot have stability in their lives when we are shipping American jobs overseas. They cannot have security in their homes when they are fearful of getting sick. They cannot have safety in their communities when their teachers, policemen, and firefighters are being led off while we are engaged in symbolic episodes.
I ask my colleagues to reject this charade, and let's vote to restore the American Dream.
Madam Speaker, why are we here? We keep hearing that from my friends on the right--why are we here again today--and the reality of it is simple. The numbers keep changing, and it simply does not add…
Madam Speaker, why are we here? We keep hearing that from my friends on the right--why are we here again today--and the reality of it is simple. The numbers keep changing, and it simply does not add up.
A long time ago, in 2010, a long time ago, the estimates were $900 billion will be the cost of ObamaCare. Two years later, now the estimate is at nearly $2 trillion.
Well, how do we fund this? Everybody wants to know this. A program that is already financially strapped, Medicare. ObamaCare takes $500 billion, $500 billion out of Medicare.
What does that mean? Well, to me, as a grandson of a grandfather who is 92 years old, 92 years old, what happens when we take $500 billion out of Medicare?
Well, the answer is clear. There is a 15-member board called IPAB, the Independent Payment Advisory Board, that will then recommend cuts to Medicare payments for doctors, hospitals, and other providers. In other words, my grandfather's health may be in the hands of a 15-member autonomous board who will decide what happens to his health. That's wrong.
If you look in ObamaCare, what you will find is that $317 billion of new taxes, or a 3.8 percent tax on dividends, capital gains and other income, you will find $110 billion on the middle class for folks who like their health care and want to keep it? Oh, no. No, no, no. They can't keep it.
Then you find another $101 billion, another $101 billion in annual tax on health insurance providers not paid for by those folks who make more than $200,000, but paid for by the hardworking, everyday folks like my granddaddy and my momma, those folks who struggled to make their ends meet, $100 billion of new taxes.
But if you need a medical device, another $29 billion of new taxes. There is just not enough time, Mr. Leader, to talk about all the taxes that can't be articulated in just 2 minutes.
Madam Speaker, the Supreme Court ruled that the individual mandate was Constitutional. But the cost of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ``Obamacare'', remains grievously…
Madam Speaker, the Supreme Court ruled that the individual mandate was Constitutional. But the cost of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, or ``Obamacare'', remains grievously unsustainable. Unless Obamacare is repealed, either in whole or in part, America's healthcare system will prove to be a ticking fiscal time bomb.
Regardless of the Obama plan, healthcare payment rates across Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurance are alarming. According to the Congressional Budget Office, between 1975 and 2005, annual per- person health spending in the United States rose, on average, 2 percentage points faster than per-person economic growth. In other words, healthcare costs have outpaced our national income.
Now add Obamacare: massive new entitlements, additional dependence on government, tax hikes, bureaucratic micromanagement of healthcare, and the possibility of Congress taxing other forms of inactivity in the future. In 2014, Obamacare will significantly expand Medicaid to childless adults with incomes up to 138 percent of the poverty level. If states don't expand Medicaid, 11.5 million very poor adults will be on their own. That is more than the entire population of Greece.
Americans that fail to follow the healthcare mandate will be required to pay a penalty, or an Obamatax, starting in 2014. When fully phased in two years later, the penalty will be $695 for each uninsured adult or 2.5 percent of family income, whichever is greater, up to $12,500.
Madam Speaker, America is facing a genuine healthcare crisis. But our country also has 13 million unemployed and millions of others are struggling. They simply can't afford a new tax imposed by Washington. There is a way to improve both our healthcare system and fiscal outlook, and it starts by repealing Obamacare.
I thank the leader. As a physician, one of the tenets of medicine is: first, do no harm. Sadly, the President's law does real harm. The Supreme Court has said that the law is constitutional. That…
I thank the leader.
As a physician, one of the tenets of medicine is: first, do no harm. Sadly, the President's law does real harm.
The Supreme Court has said that the law is constitutional. That doesn't make it good policy. It harms all of the principles that Americans hold dear as it relates to health care--it increases costs, decreases accessibility, lowers quality, and limits choices--the wrong direction for our country. It harms patients--especially seniors--by removing $500 billion from Medicare and having 15 unaccountable bureaucrats deny payment for health care services--decisions that should be made by patients and doctors, not by government. It harms doctors, over 80 percent of whom in a recent poll said that they would have to consider getting out of medicine because of this law. And it harms our economy, killing over 800,000 jobs and making it more difficult for small businesses, the job-creation engine of our Nation, to create jobs.
And it's that much more frustrating because it doesn't have to be this way.
There are positive solutions that don't require putting Washington in charge. There's a better way, and the first step to that better way is to repeal this law so we may work in a rational, deliberative, and, yes, bipartisan process for patient-centered health care where patients and families and doctors make medical decisions, not Washington.
The President's law doesn't just harm the health of patients and seniors; it harms the health of our economy and our Nation. And the first step to replace is to repeal. And we can start today.
Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to yet another effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Passed by the House and the Senate, signed by the president and confirmed by the Supreme Court, I do…
Madam Speaker, I rise today in opposition to yet another effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Passed by the House and the Senate, signed by the president and confirmed by the Supreme Court, I do not support repeal of this law.
While the Affordable Care Act is not perfect, it has had tremendous positive impacts already, eliminating pre-existing condition restrictions, allowing young adults to remain on their parents' insurance until age 26, and making prescription drugs more affordable for our seniors. For too long our system has needed to be reworked to achieve greater savings and improved patient outcomes. Now that the Supreme Court has found this law constitutional, we need to concentrate on implementing it as efficiently as possible. The statistics speak for themselves:
105 million Americans no longer have a lifetime limit on their coverage.
As many as 17 million children with pre-existing conditions are no longer threatened by denial of coverage.
6.6 million young adults up to age 26 are covered under their parents' policies. Without that coverage nearly half of them would be uninsured.
5.1 million seniors in the ``donut hole'' have already saved over $3.2 billion on prescription drugs.
Madam Speaker, rather than practicing partisan politics, we owe it to our constituents to work together to ensure the Affordable Care Act continues to make health care more affordable and accessible for millions of Americans. Today's vote is another effort to take us in the wrong direction, and I urge my colleagues to oppose it.
I thank the gentleman for yielding. Madam Speaker, do you remember these lines when the President was pitching the health care bill? He said: If you like what you have, you can keep it. It will not…
I thank the gentleman for yielding.
Madam Speaker, do you remember these lines when the President was pitching the health care bill? He said: If you like what you have, you can keep it. It will not add a single dime to the deficit. This is absolutely not a tax increase, and it will bring down premiums by $2,500 for the typical family.
The gentlelady from California a moment ago spoke about things to take away. Let's take this away. Let's take away the reality of this new health care law that has done this.
It is now clear that 20 million Americans are likely to lose their employer-based health coverage. The law will cost $2.6 trillion if fully implemented and add over $700 billion to the deficit. It has $500 billion in new taxes that are triggered towards the middle class. And the average increase in family premiums doesn't go down $2,500; it goes up $1,200.
Here is what we should take away. We should take away this albatross in the economy. We should repeal it. We should replace it.
And here is the good news. The voters get the last word in November.
Stay tuned.
Latest available legislative text
Full legislative text is easier to read from the official PDF on a phone-sized screen. You can still view the full bill text below if you prefer.
IV
112th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 274
In the House of Representatives, U. S.,
May 24, 2011
RESOLUTION
Electing a Member to a certain standing committee of the House of Representatives.
That the following named Member be, and is hereby, elected to the following standing committee of the House of Representatives:
Committee on Education and the Workforce:
Mr. Goodlatte, to rank immediately after Ms. Foxx.
Karen L. Haas,
Clerk.
