[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 71 (Monday, May 12, 2014)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2893-S2894]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

  Mr. CARDIN. Mr. President, I, along with most Americans, celebrated 
Mother's Day yesterday with my wife, my daughter, and my grandchildren, 
to express our appreciation for what mothers all over the world have 
done in order to help our communities. In America, we have taken action 
to help women in this country. I am referring to the passage of the 
Affordable Care Act, which has helped childbearing women and child 
rearing throughout the child's life, as well as the mother and the 
family.
  Let me give some examples because I think it is good to point out 
where we have made progress and to celebrate what we have done to help 
women in America. We have taken on the arbitrary practices of private 
insurance companies that discriminated against women, against pregnant 
women, and against mothers. A woman can now choose her own OB/GYN 
doctor as her primary care doctor, no longer having to wait for 
authorization or to get a referral in order to have OB/GYN care. Women 
now have the absolute right to choose their own primary care doctor, 
including an OB/GYN.
  Under the Affordable Care Act, every woman in America is guaranteed 
an annual well-woman visit to be able to assess their health, including 
mammography screening, pap smears, diabetes screening, and other 
preventive screenings services at no cost. That is all provided in the 
Affordable Care Act, so a woman can take care of her own health care 
needs and, in many cases, avoiding much more costly and debilitating 
care. Again, this is at no cost. So there is no reason why a woman 
cannot take advantage of these services. HPV DNA testing is now 
available every 3 years under the Affordable Care Act to deal with the 
sexual health of women. STI counseling and HIV screening for sexually 
active women are now available under the Affordable Care Act. This is 
now guaranteed. Women don't have to go look at the fine print of an 
insurance policy to see whether they have coverage. Before, in most 
cases, they didn't have coverage. Women don't have to wait for 
authorization, having to show a need. These are given rights that are 
now available to every woman under the Affordable Care Act.
  No longer can pregnancy be considered a preexisting condition. Before 
the passage of the Affordable Care Act, if a woman wanted to get an 
insurance policy, insurers excluded childbirth during the first perhaps 
9 months or later. It was considered a preexisting condition. Now we 
have a seamless system, so women can get the type of care they need.
  Why does that become so important? So they can get the necessary 
prenatal care in order to keep their baby healthy, to get the type of 
tests that are necessary.
  Pregnant women can now get a gestational diabetes screening to see 
whether they are at high risk and, if so, they can get the type of 
treatment they need in order to make sure their baby is born as healthy 
as possible.
  Prenatal care is available and it is covered, and we now have, 
through the Affordable Care Act, a provision we added that provides 
support for qualified health centers. I have visited qualified health 
centers in Maryland that are now providing prenatal care that wasn't 
there before. It is not only that we are providing coverage; we are 
providing access to care, so we can reduce low birth weight babies in 
our community. Look at the numbers of infant survival. Look at the 
numbers of low birth weight babies. We are improving those numbers 
daily because of the Affordable Care Act. To be able to prevent and 
discover complications during pregnancy, including preterm outcomes--
all of that is now available.
  Women now have access to folic acid to make sure a woman has a 
healthier fetus and birth. All of that is now available under the 
Affordable Care Act.
  We help newborns and their mothers. Breast feeding has been proven to 
be a very strong part of a healthy infancy and for a baby. There are 
certain needs a mother has, including having the time to breast feed, 
and the cost of breast feeding, including breast pumps. That is now 
covered under the Affordable Care Act.
  We understand the need to keep people healthier, and that is why we 
call it

[[Page S2894]]

a wellness program. No longer is it insurance just to take care of an 
illness or injury; it is to keep people healthy and for women 
particularly. We didn't do a good job for many years. We are now making 
up for it in the Affordable Care Act, making a huge difference.
  We are giving peace of mind to women all over this country about 
having adequate third-party coverage so they can afford to take care of 
their own health and the health of their families.
  Adult children can remain on parents' insurance policies until age 
26. We have all received so many letters from our constituents saying: 
Thank goodness we have that provision. My 24-year-old never thought she 
would get ill. Now she has this insurance coverage so we can take care 
of her and keep her healthy, and when she needs health care, it is 
available, thanks to the Affordable Care Act.
  Today millions of Americans today who didn't have it before, now have 
quality, affordable health insurance as a result of the Affordable Care 
Act. It is peace of mind. They can now carry an insurance card. I got a 
letter from one of my constituents saying how it felt to have an 
insurance card in her possession, knowing that it worked as a ticket to 
take care of her health care and the health care of her family.
  No longer can an insurance company discriminate in ratings against 
women--a huge deal. The discriminatory rates were aimed against women, 
and we have eliminated that under the Affordable Care Act.
  We have eliminated preexisting condition restrictions. I already 
talked about pregnancy. But it was amazing how women particularly were 
discriminated against because of preexisting conditions, where they 
couldn't get full coverage to take care of all of their needs. That is 
over, including for their children. Many families told us they had a 
child with asthma and they couldn't get full coverage. Now they can get 
full coverage, thanks to the Affordable Care Act. They now have peace 
of mind and adequate coverage to take care of their needs.
  We had the end of the caps on health insurance. No longer do people 
have to worry: Should I do this or not? Will I hit my annual limit or 
my lifetime limit?
  They are gone. If they need insurance, it is there to protect them. 
That is what insurance should do: Protect families.
  So we have made a huge difference.
  I am particularly proud of the prudent layperson provision for 
emergency care. I can't tell my colleagues how many times we had 
circumstances where people needed to go to the emergency room because 
they thought they had a true emergency with chest pain and sweating, 
and they would go to the emergency room. The good news was they weren't 
having a heart attack. The bad news is they got a bill from their 
insurance company telling them that because they didn't have a heart 
attack they have to pay this bill. That is over. We have now legislated 
the prudent layperson standard so it is now right for a person to seek 
urgent care, and the insurance company must cover that visit for urgent 
care.
  I could continue to list so many ways we have helped all people in 
this country but particularly women. It is tough enough to give birth 
to a baby and to raise a child. We have made it easier by taking away 
some of the burdens regarding our health care system.
  So this past Sunday, when we celebrated Mother's Day, we could also 
point to a very tangible accomplishment this Congress has been able to 
deliver for all of our mothers in this country, and I was proud to be a 
part of making that a reality.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant bill clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. NELSON. Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the order 
for the quorum call be rescinded.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER (Ms. Hirono). Without objection, it is so 
ordered.

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