[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 9 (Monday, January 24, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E96]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




INSTRUCTING CERTAIN COMMITTEES TO REPORT LEGISLATION REPLACING THE JOB-
                        KILLING HEALTH CARE LAW

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                               speech of

                           HON. CORRINE BROWN

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, January 20, 2011

  Ms. BROWN of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in opposition to 
House Resolution 9, which instructs authorizing committees to develop 
legislation replacing existing healthcare laws. While I applaud the 
majority's intention to finally present their own comprehensive 
solutions to the health care crisis in this country, I note that they 
don't need a resolution by the entire House to do so. Committees can 
develop legislation on their own at any time. Moreover, I reject the 
idea that the Patients Protection and Affordable Care Act must be 
``replaced.'' The PPACA represents a century of effort by people of all 
political persuasions to give people the peace of mind that comes from 
knowing they have access to affordable care. No law is ever perfect. 
Certainly, all legislation can all be improved and I welcome the 
opportunity to further the progress made by the 111th Congress on 
health care reform.
  Furthermore, current law meets most, if not all, of the goals 
identified in today's resolution. Since health care reform passed, the 
economy has grown, more than a million jobs have been created and 
thousands of small businesses have used tax credits to begin offering 
employees coverage for the first time. In order to foster competition 
and choice, the Department of Health and Human Services recently 
established a website where people can compare policies and when the 
exchanges launch in 2014, individuals and small businesses will select 
from a wide range of carriers competing for their business. Patients 
now have the right to choose their own primary care physician and women 
don't have to ask permission to see an obstetrician. Insurance carriers 
cannot arbitrarily deny care and patients have a robust right to repeal 
when company bureaucrats override doctors. Children cannot be denied 
coverage for pre-existing conditions and soon all Americans will enjoy 
that protection.
  When PPACA is fully implemented, 32 million people will have coverage 
who never had it before, millions more will be able to afford coverage 
more easily, and seniors will not pay so dearly for prescription drugs. 
All of these actions can be done while extending Medicare solvency by 
twelve years by reducing waste, fraud and abuse and while slashing the 
deficit by $1.4 trillion over the next twenty years.
  The Republican plan introduced in the House last session would cover 
just 3 million more Americans by 2019--leaving 51 million Americans 
uninsured in 2019. That plan reduced the deficit by $68 billion over 
the next 10 years--far less than the law we passed--and offered none of 
the cost savings and consumer protections that make health care reform 
work for all Americans. I sincerely hope Republicans offer more 
substantial solutions this session.
  Finally, one goal of today's resolution that I must take issue with 
is the provision regarding abortion. Nothing in the PPACA allows for 
taxpayer funded abortions and I would strenuously object to any new 
laws that further restricted a woman's right to choose or allow medical 
professionals to deny legitimate services based on their own religious 
beliefs. There is no reason why the healthcare options for women--
participating in insurance exchanges should be any different than they 
are for women who can afford coverage on their own.

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