[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 82 (Thursday, May 11, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E621]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT OF 2017

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                           HON. JOHN J. FASO

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Thursday, May 4, 2017

  Mr. FASO. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express my support for the American 
Health Care Act. As I have said from the beginning, when it comes to 
the Affordable Care Act, we should keep what works and change what 
doesn't. I urge support for the AHCA because it does just that.
  The AHCA stops the Washington, DC, one-size-fits-all approach to 
healthcare and puts choice and freedom back in the hands of states, 
counties, families, and individuals. With the AHCA's monumental strides 
in reforming Medicaid to ensure its solvency for our most vulnerable 
citizens and repealing burdensome taxes on the middle class, it is a 
win across the board for all Americans, but specifically Upstate New 
Yorkers.
  Upstate New York residents will see additional benefits due to an 
amendment which Congressman Collins and I have included in the bill. 
This language is one of the greatest pieces of state mandate relief 
that New Yorkers have ever seen. By normalizing the fashion in which 
New York State funds Medicaid, those in my district alone will see more 
than $224 million in tax relief every year.
  The fact is that New York funds its Medicaid program by imposing a 
portion of the state's funding responsibility on the counties. Home 
ownership is burdened by lower property values due to high taxes. This 
also lessens business competitiveness in areas like Upstate NY. The 
extent to which New York burdens its counties is unlike any other: of 
the approximately $9.5 billion in Medicaid costs shouldered by 
localities nationwide, New York localities account for more than $7 
billion of the total. Albany mandates ensure that New York spends more 
on Medicaid than Texas and Florida combined. This is simply 
unsustainable.
  The people of Upstate New York demand relief: relief from burdensome 
Albany mandates; relief from rising property taxes; relief from 
Washington-controlled, bureaucratic healthcare; relief from ACA-
imposed, middle-class healthcare taxes. For these reasons, I support 
the AHCA and urge my colleagues to support this bill.

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