July 10, 2019 - Issue: Vol. 165, No. 115 — Daily Edition116th Congress (2019 - 2020) - 1st Session
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AFFORDABLE CARE ACT; Congressional Record Vol. 165, No. 115
(Senate - July 10, 2019)
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[Pages S4764-S4765] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] AFFORDABLE CARE ACT Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, today I wish to discuss Americans' access to healthcare and patient protections that are carelessly being threatened by President Trump and his administration, specifically, his decision to not uphold the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, ACA, which is the law of the land. This week, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the fifth circuit began reviewing appeals to a December decision in the case Texas v. U.S., in which the entire ACA was ruled unconstitutional. Republican attorneys general from 18 States argue that the ACA is unconstitutional because our Republican colleagues repealed the individual mandate as part of their 2017 tax bill. Instead of defending the ACA and fighting for Americans with preexisting health conditions, President Trump took the unprecedented step of not defending current law, and the Department of Justice revised its position to support full repeal of the ACA, continuing the administration's sabotage of affordable access to healthcare through all avenues of Executive action. If Republicans successfully overturn the ACA, hundreds of millions of Americans will lose access to affordable healthcare and the monumental consumer protections created through the ACA. This includes the 133 million Americans with preexisting conditions, 17 million people who gained insurance through Medicaid expansion, 12 million seniors who pay less for prescription drugs, and over 2 million adult children who will no longer be able to stay on their parent's health insurance. I am particularly worried about the 2.5 million Marylanders with a preexisting condition, 320,000 of whom are children. Before the ACA, insurers denied health coverage to Americans with preexisting health conditions. The most common preexisting conditions are pregnancy, cancer, diabetes, high blood pressure, behavioral health disorders, high cholesterol, asthma, and heart conditions. Patients with preexisting conditions must know their health insurance coverage is there for them when they are healthy, but particularly when they become sick. The ACA took the important step to ensure this, by protecting all patients against arbitrary, sudden loss of insurance. This security would, of course, be eliminated if the ACA is overturned. In addition to these important consumer protections, the Affordable Care Act increased access to care for millions of people who previously were uninsured or underinsured. Through Medicaid expansion, 13 million low-income Americans now have dependable, comprehensive healthcare, including 300,000 Marylanders. We must protect the Medicaid expansion population and other uninsured or underinsured populations from the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate their access to affordable care. The numerous reckless attempts by the Trump administration to sabotage the ACA disregard how much good healthcare reform has done for all Americans. Before we passed the Affordable Care Act, too many people fell through the cracks with inadequate insurance coverage, annual and lifetime coverage caps, or limits to preventive health services. Too many declared bankruptcy because of high healthcare costs or skipped prescribed care or medications because of the costs. The ACA ensured that many of those people now have access to higher- quality coverage. Core elements of the law require companies to cover adults and children with preexisting conditions, prevent insurance companies from setting annual and lifetime limits, and [[Page S4765]] allow young adults can stay on a parent's health plan until the age of 26. If the Affordable Care Act is struck down, insurers could bring back annual and lifetime limits on coverage, adults covered by Medicaid expansion would lose vital health services, young people would be kicked off their parent's insurance, and issuers could sell skimpy plans that don't cover essential health benefits like prescription drugs, emergency room visits, mental health and substance use, and maternity care. The unprecedented actions by the Trump administration to not defend the ACA jeopardizes the healthcare of all Americans. I believe that accessible, affordable healthcare is a human right. Securing this right has always been a challenge. Democrats will continue to fight for consumer protections and increased access to care that have been guaranteed through the Affordable Care Act. As President Trump refuses to defend the Affordable Care Act, he risks the health and well-being of millions of Americans. Ms. KLOBUCHAR. Mr. President, today I wish to again express my support for the Affordable Care Act, ACA. We must continue fighting to protect the safeguards that were put in place by the ACA, which prohibits abusive practices that previously kept healthcare out of reach for millions of Americans, like denying coverage to people with preexisting conditions. About half of all Americans have preexisting conditions and could be forced to pay significantly higher premiums or lose access to coverage altogether if the ACA is overturned. At least 21 million people could lose their health insurance if the ACA is struck down. In my State, Minnesotans would see a loss of $364 million in premium tax credits, and roughly 272,000 people would lose their coverage. Earlier this year, I came to the Senate floor to read 100 letters from people in my State and across the country who explained what the ACA has meant to them. These stories are just a small window into the positive impact of the ACA and how so many people would suffer if its protections were eliminated. Instead of striking down this landmark legislation, we should build on its strengths, defend the critical consumer protections that it provides for so many, and make it stronger. We cannot go back to a time when people who are sick can be denied health insurance coverage. This is not the time to look back and try to tear things down; we should look ahead and work to strengthen our healthcare system moving forward. It is for this reason that we must and will continue to fight against efforts to take away healthcare protections from millions of Americans. ____________________
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