[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 53 (Monday, March 27, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E389-E390]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                            HON. LUKE MESSER

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, March 24, 2017

  Mr. MESSER. Mr. Speaker, in Indiana, we keep life simple. We love 
God, country, family, and basketball. And, this time of year, during 
March Madness, not necessarily in that order. Certain principles are 
sacred, like you do what you said you were going to do. Some want to 
make today's debate complicated, but the truth is it's pretty simple. 
For seven years we've told the American people we would repeal 
Obamacare. Today we have an opportunity to do that. It's not a perfect 
bill--no bill is. But President Trump has said this is our best and 
only chance to get this done.
  There is some strong policy in this bill. It cuts taxes by hundreds 
of billions of dollars and government by hundreds of billions. It keeps 
pre-existing condition prohibitions and lets 26-year-olds stay on their 
parents' health plans. Most importantly, however, it unshackles 
American families from a government forced mandate costing them 
thousands of dollars each year. This bill represents an enormous change 
away from an era of taxes, mandates, penalties, and government 
bureaucrats defining what health insurance plan you are allowed to 
purchase, and into an era where the patient, the consumer, is back in 
charge.
  Despite today's rhetoric, the choice is clear: you can vote to keep 
Obamacare or vote to end it. It's really that simple. I urge my 
colleagues to support the bill, keep your promise, and do what you said 
you would do.

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