[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 51 (Thursday, March 23, 2017)]
[House]
[Page H2363]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      RISING IN STRONG OPPOSITION TO THE AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT

  (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to the 
Republican effort to gut the Affordable Care Act.
  Twenty million people, including 100,000 Rhode Islanders, receive 
health coverage under the ACA. Because of the proposed plan to repeal 
the ACA that the Republicans are proposing, they are now threatened 
with losing that coverage.
  Instead of working in a bipartisan manner to improve the law, this 
bill will eliminate coverage for 24 million people, while drastically 
increasing healthcare costs on hardworking middle class Americans.
  Over the next 5 years, Rhode Island officials estimate Medicaid cuts 
would cost the State $595 million to make sure that 75,000 low-income 
adults don't lose coverage.
  Now, this is a burden that my State or others cannot afford to bear, 
and it will decimate services and supports for low- and middle-income 
adults, children, seniors, and especially people with disabilities.
  Mr. Speaker, we are better than this as a country. Americans' health 
will be jeopardized if consumer protections and comprehensive coverage 
developed under the ACA are cast aside in a partisan push to repeal.
  Let's not do this. Let's join together instead and make improvements 
to the ACA to make it better. Let's not work against us to repeal it.
  I urge my colleagues to oppose this unconscionable bill.

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