[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 36 (Wednesday, March 1, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H1401]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   PRESERVING AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE

  (Ms. DelBENE asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. DelBENE. Madam Speaker, too often we forget that the Affordable 
Care Act is about more than numbers. It is about real people. So for 
the next 6 weeks, I will be highlighting the voices of my constituents 
who have flooded my inbox with heart-wrenching stories about why the 
law must be preserved, constituents like Paul from Snohomish, whose 
son-in-law died of cancer before the Affordable Care Act.
  His disease started small, but, growing up, his family couldn't 
afford insurance, and he delayed seeking care. By the time he got a job 
with health coverage, the disease had progressed too far, and he died 
at the age of 29. Paul wrote to me and said: ``The certificate of death 
says my son-in-law died from cancer, but I believe he died from a 
broken healthcare system.''
  We can't go back to a time when getting sick meant going bankrupt. 
Across the country, Americans like Paul are telling Congress not to 
repeal the Affordable Care Act. We should heed their advice.

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