July 12, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 117 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session

[Page H5732]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          DEFEND AGAINST ATTEMPTS TO OVERTURN ACA PROTECTIONS

  (Ms. UNDERWOOD asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, currently, 20 Republican-led States are 
suing to overturn the Affordable Care Act and the protections that it 
provides.
  Rather than defend the law, the Trump administration is siding with 
these States and arguing the entire law should be overturned. This is 
an attack on every single American with a preexisting condition, 
including 300,000 people in Illinois' 14th Congressional District.
  If the ACA is overturned, insurers will, once again, have the power 
to refuse coverage to people with preexisting conditions, like cancer, 
asthma, heart conditions, and diabetes.
  This is a fear for many of my constituents, including Mike DeBow of 
Shorewood, Illinois, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at a young 
age. Mike wrote to me because he is ``deathly afraid''--his words--of 
losing his insurance.
  Under the ACA, Mike doesn't have to worry about being denied coverage 
for his preexisting condition. He can even stay on his parents' plan 
until he turns 26. But if the Republicans' lawsuit succeeds, 130 
million Americans with preexisting conditions, including Mike, won't 
have that peace of mind.
  I am proud that my first vote in Congress was to protect the ACA by 
defending it in court so that Americans like Mike can focus on leading 
fulfilling lives, not whether their healthcare needs are covered.

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