[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 8, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H3480-H3481]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           PROTECTING INDIVIDUALS WITH PREEXISTING CONDITIONS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
California (Mr. Costa) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to talk about healthcare and to 
ask that my colleagues join me in support of protecting individuals in 
America who have preexisting conditions.
  We can, and we must do a better job in reducing costs and improving 
access to healthcare in America. Since the Affordable Care Act was 
signed into law in 2010, no provision has had a more significant impact 
on the health of Americans than protecting those with preexisting 
conditions.
  In my district in 2010 in San Joaquin Valley in California, almost 25 
percent of my constituents had no healthcare insurance whatsoever, and 
17 percent were uninsured. Today, 9 years later, 10 percent of my 
constituents do not have healthcare insurance, and the ability to 
provide insurance for those who were underinsured has much improved.
  Before the ACA, insurers could deny health coverage to many health 
conditions such as asthma, diabetes, or cancer.
  How many of our families have preexisting conditions in those areas?
  I submit most of us do. These denials often force families into 
decisions between paying for a loved one's treatment or keeping the 
lights on in their house. No family should be faced with such a choice.
  Protections for preexisting conditions remain one of the popular 
parts of the ACA. These protections should not be weakened due to 
partisan politics. Working together in a bipartisan fashion is the only 
way we are going to get something enacted that will work for all 
Americans.
  We can do better for the American people, and we should. That is what 
the folks in my 16th Congressional District in the San Joaquin Valley 
want me to do. They want me to help improve their healthcare.


                           Wildfire Awareness

  Mr. COSTA. Mr. Speaker, I would like to discuss the importance of 
wildfire awareness. No State knows more about how important the subject 
is than California.
  There is no longer a fire season in California. It suffers from 
fires, sadly, year-round resulting from many factors, including climate 
change.
  Just last year California saw the deadliest wildfire in its history. 
The town of Paradise was decimated with more than 14,000 homes 
destroyed, and 85 people lost their lives. God bless them and their 
families.
  There have been other fires in Santa Barbara, Mendocino, and the 
Yosemite Rim fire right in my own district's backyard.

[[Page H3481]]

  We need to do more. For the first time in its 110-year history, the 
Forest Service says they will now dedicate more than half their budget 
to wildfire suppression efforts, which we have directed as a result of 
the farm bill last year.

                              {time}  1015

  To begin with, this requires better managing and caring for our 
forests.
  This week, we will vote on an emergency supplemental to help 
communities affected by wildfires. I ask my colleagues to vote with me 
and pass this important legislation.
  Let's do the right thing and help our fellow Americans rebuild their 
lives and their communities. At the same time, let's be more 
responsible stewards of our forests.
  We know how to do it. Let's get started with our States, local 
governments, and the private sector.
  Future generations deserve better management of forests throughout 
our country. I think we can do it if we work together.

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