[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 102 (Wednesday, July 17, 2013)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1074]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




   H.R. 2667, THE AUTHORITY FOR MANDATE DELAY ACT AND H.R. 2668, THE 
            FAIRNESS FOR AMERICAN FAMILIES ACT JULY 17, 2013

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                          HON. JOHN D. DINGELL

                              of michigan

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 17, 2013

  Mr. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to both H.R. 
2667, the Authority for Mandate Delay Act, and H.R. 2668, the Fairness 
for American Families Act. Here we are once again taking another cheap 
shot at the Affordable Care Act (ACA), rather than working to continue 
providing its benefits to the American people. Both pieces of 
legislation are political stunts which will not help Americans get 
access to quality, affordable health care.
  There is no need for passage of H.R. 2667 since the President has 
already acted to delay by one year the employer responsibility 
requirements under ACA. Given the fact that this type of change has 
long been sought by my friends on the other side of the aisle and their 
allies, you would think they would be praising the President for taking 
this action. Instead, they have done nothing but used this as another 
opportunity to score cheap political points, which is very telling.
  Although I wish the employer responsibility provision would be 
implemented on time, the fact of the matter is that this delay will 
have very little practical impact. Over ninety six percent of large 
employers already offer health coverage to their employees. It is 
important that we take our time in getting these new reporting 
requirements right, which is exactly what the President is doing. Since 
the President has already acted in this manner, H.R. 2667 is 
duplicative and unnecessary.
  H.R. 2668 also should be rejected by this body. The individual 
mandate is the cornerstone of the ACA, and the Supreme Court has 
affirmed its constitutionality. Simply put, delaying the implementation 
of the individual mandate is just a back door attempt to undermine the 
entire law. The Affordable Care Act has already brought many benefits 
to the American people. Thanks to the law, 206,000 people in my 
district have access to preventative services without a co-pay, and 
8,500 young adults have health insurance through their parents' plan. 
Adopting this bill today would jeopardize this progress we have made in 
recent years.
  Today we received news that health insurance premiums will fall by an 
average of 50 percent in New York once their exchanges are up and 
running in 2014. The individual mandate is a key reason for this. For 
years, New York had a prohibition on discriminating against individuals 
with a pre-existing condition. However, the state did not require all 
individuals to purchase insurance, which caused rates to skyrocket. The 
individual mandate, combined with the new health insurance 
marketplaces, are in large part responsible for this precipitous 
decline in insurance rates in New York. We should ensure that these 
results are replicated in my home state of Michigan and across the rest 
of the country. Repealing the individual mandate will increase 
Americans' health care costs, not decrease them.
  I hope we can come together and work in a bipartisan manner to 
improve our health care system and provide real benefits to the 
American people. Until that day comes, I urge my colleagues to join me 
in voting against these two pieces of legislation, as they are nothing 
more than political stunts which do nothing to address the problems we 
face as a nation.

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