[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 70 (Friday, May 17, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E689]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          REPEAL OF PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

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                               speech of

                         HON. YVETTE D. CLARKE

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 16, 2013

  Ms. CLARKE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 45--To 
Repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-
related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act 
of 2010. This legislation would completely repeal the Affordable Care 
Act, which was signed into law in 2010 and was declared 
constitutionally sound by the U.S. Supreme Court last year. The 
Affordable Care Act extends healthcare coverage to all Americans 
regardless of their gender, health condition or ability to pay.
  It is a disgrace that this country, which is the wealthiest country 
in the world, denies universal healthcare coverage to its citizens. 
Repealing the Affordable Care Act will allow this disgrace to continue.
  The Affordable Care Act is a good law. Because of the Affordable Care 
Act, Americans now have access to a wide variety of free preventive 
services; insurers can no longer drop women from coverage when they 
become pregnant; Medicare is stronger due to some of the cost savings 
and other provisions in the act; Seniors are paying less for 
prescription drugs; Americans no longer face lifetime limits on care; 
and families are receiving rebates from insurance companies, when they 
unfairly inflate their costs.
  In fact, thousands of people in my district, the 9th Congressional 
District of Brooklyn, New York, are already benefiting from the 
Affordable Care Act. An analysis done in March of 2012 showed that the 
health care reform law had already:
  Provided 390 small businesses in my district with tax credits to help 
maintain or expand health care coverage for their employees;
  Provided 5,100 young adults in my district with access to health 
insurance coverage under their parents' insurance plan;
  Provided Medicare preventive services, at no costs to the patient, 
for 46,000 seniors in the district;
  And, provided $2.5 million in public health grants for community 
health centers, hospitals, doctors, and other healthcare providers in 
the district to improve the community's health.
  I have always believed that healthcare is a fundamental right, not a 
privilege. And this is why I vehemently oppose H.R. 45--To Repeal the 
Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. It is wrong, and it is a 
step backwards for our country.

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