[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 76 (Wednesday, May 8, 2019)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2734-S2735]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
Women's Healthcare
Ms. STABENOW. Mr. President, this coming Sunday, mothers and other
special women who are mother figures and caregivers for our children
across the country will be honored for the important work they do to
nuture the next generation.
Many moms will receive cards and flowers. Some will enjoy breakfast
in bed or dinner out. A few lucky ones might get plaster handprints or
handmade mugs--I love those. These gifts, no matter what they are, will
be treasured because when it comes right down to it, all moms really
want are a couple of things. They want their children to be happy, and
they want their children to be healthy.
Unfortunately, thanks to this administration's continuing attacks on
our healthcare, a lot of mothers can no longer count on that. Just ask
Rachel whose daughter Alice was born in Detroit with a heart condition
called Shone's complex. When Alice was only 1 day old, she had her
first open heart surgery. Think about that. She was 1 day old. Four
years later, she has an artificial heart valve, a love of dancing, and
the biggest grin you have ever seen. She also has what the insurance
companies call a preexisting condition. She will have to take heart
medication for the rest of her life.
Alice's mom, Rachel, writes:
Her hospital stays and medications cost well over a million
dollars--closer to two million. Without the (Affordable Care
Act), our family would be bankrupt, worrying about how to pay
for her life-saving medications.
No mom should have to worry about going bankrupt because her child
was born with a heart condition. It could happen to any of us. No
family should go broke paying for the medication that is keeping their
child alive. Alice deserves better, and Alice's mom deserves better
too.
I have said it before, and I will say it over and over again:
Healthcare is personal. It is not political. We should be working
across the aisle to expand access to care, improve quality, reduce
costs, and we should be doing something to resolve the maternal and
infant mortality crisis that is happening right now in the United
States of America so Mother's Day is a day of joy instead of a day of
sorrow.
Instead, we find ourselves fighting an administration that will not
stop trying to take away the protections that
[[Page S2735]]
people like Alice count on and that thousands, millions across the
country count on. In fact, the U.S. Department of Justice last month
agreed with a Federal judge in Texas who said the entire Affordable
Care Act must be struck down, and that includes coverage for those with
preexisting conditions.
Not to be outdone, the Senate Republicans passed a budget resolution
out of committee that includes repeal of the Affordable Care Act with
no replacement. What would that mean for Michigan families? Our Healthy
Michigan Program that provides healthcare to more than 650,000
Michiganders, gone. Children staying on their parents insurance until
age 26, gone. Lower drug prices for seniors, gone. Protections for
people with preexisting conditions, gone. That would be horrible news
for Alice and every other Michigan child born with a heart condition or
any other health challenge.
So what is the Republican alternative to the ACA? They don't have
one, but don't worry. President Trump says Republicans will unveil a
``really great'' healthcare plan after the 2020 election--after the
2020 election.
In the meantime, the Affordable Care Act could be struck down in the
courts, with the support of the Trump administration, and Alice and her
mom could really be out of luck.
In honor of Mother's Day, here is what we should be doing together.
We should reaffirm the Affordable Care Act's protections for Alice and
all people with preexisting conditions. We should, once again,
guarantee that every insurance plan covers prenatal and maternity
care--by the way, instead of the junk plans the administration is
approving right now that don't cover prenatal and maternity care. We
should also strengthen healthcare for moms and babies through the
Children's Health Insurance Program and Medicaid, which cover about
half of the births in our country.
A few years ago, the Finance Committee reported out a bipartisan bill
that I led with Senator Grassley. It was called the Quality Care for
Moms and Babies Act. This bill would create a set of maternal and
infant quality care measures in the Children's Health Insurance Program
and Medicaid. The goal is simple: improving maternal and infant health
outcomes.
It is amazing that we don't have uniform quality health standards
across the country. The Quality Care for Moms and Babies Act will help
make sure that every mom gets the best pregnancy care possible and
every baby gets a healthy start. That is what we should be passing.
In America today, that is, unfortunately, not the case. Our maternal
mortality rate is climbing. African-American women are three times more
likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than are other American
women, and our infant mortality rate ranks a shameful 32 among the
world's 35 wealthiest nations--32 out of 35 in our great country.
We need to change this so more moms and their children will enjoy a
happy Mother's Day. Moms like Rachel shouldn't be spending their
Mother's Day worrying about what will happen to their children if the
Republicans succeed in undoing the Affordable Care Act.
In thinking back on Alice's diagnosis, Rachel said:
I cannot express how stressful and gut-wrenching a time
this was for my family. I am thankful every day for the
Affordable Care Act.
Moms deserve more than flowers and a card. They deserve the peace of
mind that comes from knowing their children are born as healthy as
possible and will have the healthcare coverage they need. Our moms gave
us life. This Mother's Day, let's pay it forward.
I yield the floor.
I suggest the absence of a quorum.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
The legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
Mr. TILLIS. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the order for
the quorum call be rescinded.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.