[Page H2935]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         LOTTIE GARCIA'S STORY

  (Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute.)
  Ms. MUCARSEL-POWELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise to share Lottie Garcia's 
story from The Hammocks, Miami.
  After 29 radiation treatments and six sessions of chemotherapy, 
Lottie has beaten cancer. But, sadly, on a day that should be filled 
with joy and happiness, she felt deflated and petrified.
  Why?
  Even though Lottie is now living cancer free, she, like more than 
300,000 people in my community, has a preexisting condition. Every day, 
she and her husband, Richard, battle insurance companies for her care. 
She hears, every single day, President Trump and the Republican Party's 
nonstop attacks on the Affordable Care Act and its protections for 
people with preexisting conditions.
  Last week, Democrats took a stand. We introduced legislation that 
would prevent the administration from approving short-term health plans 
that are not required to comply with any of the Affordable Care Act's 
consumer protections. These are known as junk plans.
  I stand here to reaffirm my commitment that I will fight to protect 
Lottie and every single Floridian who is living today with a 
preexisting condition.

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