[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.