[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 46 (Tuesday, March 20, 2012)]
[House]
[Pages H1395-H1396]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     MARCH 20, 2012--SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Tennessee (Mr. Cohen) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COHEN. Mr. Speaker, I stand here in the same spot where I was 
about 2 years ago, March 23, 2010, to celebrate the passage of one of 
the most important acts that this body has ever passed: the Affordable 
Care Act.
  On March 23, we will celebrate the 2-year anniversary of that 
landmark decision. Of course, next week the Supreme Court will hear 
arguments on whether the individual mandate is permissible or not. Let 
us hope that the Supreme Court will act according to the law.

[[Page H1396]]

  The Affordable Care Act will change the landscape of our Nation's 
health care delivery system for the better. I hosted a telephone town 
hall last night with my constituents on the Affordable Care Act and was 
joined by the Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services, Bill Corr, 
to answer questions from folks in my district about how it will affect 
them.
  We listened to comments and stories about people who have been in the 
doughnut hole, seniors, that cost them a lot of money. We told them 
about the fact some of them knew that once they go into the doughnut 
hole--after they spend about $2,500 or $2,700 and up to about $5,000 
you go into that hole--that the moneys will be paid for, for generic 
drugs, with a 50 percent discount because of the Affordable Care Act. 
That is extremely important for citizens and others with high drug 
prices.
  Children will be able to stay on their parents' insurance, if they 
choose to, up to the age of 26, which didn't happen before; and that's 
so important for young people and for parents to know the security that 
their children will be insured if they have a health care crisis.
  Doctors will be able to see seniors for preventative care without 
cost. That's happening right now for those on Medicare and will happen 
for everybody in 2014 when the law goes into effect for all--
mammograms, colonoscopies, shots for children, vaccinations, et cetera.
  The insurance companies will no longer be able to have lifetime 
limits on how much people can use their insurance in case of illness.
  There will be a consumer-friendly exchange where you can shop for 
prices for insurance and compare insurance policies to get what's best 
for you.
  You can't arbitrarily be dropped from coverage by your insurance 
company simply because you get sick, and preexisting conditions will no 
longer be a basis to deny somebody insurance. Already today, for 
children up to the age of 19, preexisting conditions cannot stop you 
from getting insurance.
  I had polio when I was a child. I would not like to think of any 
child that gets an illness such as that today, whether it be diabetes 
or cancer or any other illness, to be denied insurance because of a 
preexisting condition. That, because of the Affordable Care Act, will 
not occur in the future in this country.
  Insurance companies have taken people off of insurance because 
they've used too much in a year or too much in a lifetime, and that's 
going to stop.
  The idea of getting preventative care, which Medicare provides now 
and all will have in the future, will lead to lower health care costs 
because, if you catch illnesses early, it's much more cost efficient to 
treat them, and lives will be saved as well.
  Insurance companies are required to spend at least 80 percent of 
their moneys on treating patients, not on executive pay, advertising, 
administrative costs, or other such costs to the consumer; and if they 
go over that in any way whatsoever, the consumer will get a rebate. 
Insurance companies must now publish justifications for any premium 
increases they are seeking of more than 10 percent on the Internet, and 
outside experts will evaluate whether those increases are justified. 
The consumer will be protected.
  The doughnut hole ending, which I talked about earlier, has helped 
3.6 million seniors receive discounts of $2.1 billion, each senior 
saving an average of $604.
  The preventative care services I mentioned under Medicare, 32.5 
million seniors have already received one or more of those preventative 
services; and youngsters have received them as well because they get 
preventative care in their vaccinations without having to have a copay, 
which might stop their parent from taking them to the doctor to get 
those vaccinations which can prevent illnesses later.
  Seniors are now receiving free annual wellness visits under Medicare, 
and 2.3 million seniors in traditional Medicare have already taken 
advantage of the new annual wellness visit.
  Young adults stay on their insurance, as I mentioned; 2.5 million 
additional young people have gained insurance over the last year.
  Paul Krugman wrote in yesterday's New York Times that what is called 
by the Republican Party ObamaCare--which really, if you think about it, 
is a good thing, Obama cares, but it's not intended to be by them as, 
really, Obama-RomneyCare, because the plan we adopted is based upon 
what Mitt Romney did in Massachusetts to make sure that the people of 
Massachusetts bought insurance and the burden was shared in an 
appropriate way.
  Thank you, Mitt Romney. Thank you, President Obama. Thank you, United 
States American Congress.

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