[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 40 (Wednesday, March 8, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H1601]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT

  (Mr. COLLINS of Georgia asked and was given permission to address the 
House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. COLLINS of Georgia. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in gratitude--yes, 
gratitude--for the opportunity that we have to serve the American 
people and by beginning the process of repealing and replacing 
ObamaCare.
  As Republicans, we understand that even $1 trillion in new taxes--as 
the Affordable Care Act dropped on our friends and families--cannot 
save a healthcare system that is based on government interference and 
overreach. We as conservatives defend compassion, fairness, and 
freedom. These values are mutually inclusive, and I submit the American 
Health Care Act is a case study in their application.
  As insurance markets contract and healthcare options for Americans 
evaporate across the country, Medicaid continues to give more Federal 
dollars toward able-bodied Americans than toward the elderly and 
disabled neighbors that the program was designed to help.
  ObamaCare has ushered in a brave new world of diminished health care 
and skyrocketing costs, and we cannot let these directives stand. 
Republicans are protecting our most vulnerable neighbors by putting 
conservative principles back in place. Limiting government, thoughtful 
budgets for Federal programs, free markets, and choices are the best 
medicine we have to bring relief to struggling Americans, and we are 
here to deliver.

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