[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 57 (Tuesday, April 2, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H2946]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          INCREASING ACCESS TO QUALITY, AFFORDABLE HEALTHCARE

  (Mr. KILMER asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute.)
  Mr. KILMER. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the Protecting 
Pre-Existing Conditions and Making Healthcare More Affordable Act.
  I am proud to cosponsor this legislation, which is more important 
than ever following the administration's court filing last week that 
pushes for the complete and total repeal of the Affordable Care Act.
  Now, I wasn't in Congress when that law was passed. I don't think it 
is a perfect law, but there are components of it that are undeniably 
positive:
  It is a good thing that people with preexisting conditions can't be 
discriminated against by insurance companies;
  It is a good thing that young people can stay on their parents' 
insurance until their 26th birthday;
  It is a good thing that preventive care, like mammograms and cancer 
screenings, and even annual physicals, can be covered without copay;
  It is a good thing that millions of people in our country that now 
have insurance for the first time are able to get the care they need.
  Now, unfortunately, all of those positive steps are put in jeopardy 
as a consequence of the administration's court filing.
  Now, rather than unwinding the progress that has been made, we are 
proposing to build on the success of the existing law. For example, we 
propose an expansion of the tax credits available under the law, 
reducing cost for low-income families and enabling more middle-class 
families to be eligible for assistance to make healthcare affordable.
  This is the beginning of the effort on healthcare, not the end. Folks 
in D.C. shouldn't be sabotaging the American healthcare system; they 
should be making it work for the people of America.

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