[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 193 (Wednesday, December 4, 2019)]
[House]
[Pages H9248-H9249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





                     CONGRESSIONAL HISPANIC CAUCUS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Trahan). Under the Speaker's announced 
policy of January 3, 2019, the gentleman from New York (Mr. Espaillat) 
is recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all 
Members have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and 
include extraneous material on the subject of my Special Order in the 
Record.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from New York?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. ESPAILLAT. Madam Speaker, as the whip of the Congressional 
Hispanic Caucus, I am pleased to lead this monthly Special Order hour. 
This afternoon's topic comes at a critical time for our Nation and for 
the communities we represent who are all concerned with the state of 
healthcare and harmful actions of the Trump administration.
  There is no more personal an issue than one's health, and as such, 
this should be top on the minds of Members of Congress.
  It was the late Martin Luther King, Jr. who said in 1966 that of all 
the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is perhaps the most 
shocking and inhumane.
  Healthcare is a priority of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, and we 
want to use today's opportunity to discuss the state of Latino health 
in the United States of America. The Affordable Care Act was landmark 
legislation that extended healthcare coverage to more than 20 million 
Americans either through Medicaid expansion or tax credits to purchase 
quality and comprehensive healthcare insurance products.
  In the Latino community, at least 4 million Latino adults and 600,000 
Latino children have gained health insurance coverage thanks to the 
ACA. And we cannot forget that the ACA extended health insurance 
coverage for children through age 26. Especially for children and young 
adolescents, the uninsured rate for Latino children has decreased 
considerably, from 11.5 percent to around 7.5 percent.
  The gains in health insurance coverage for these children and 
preventive healthcare and reduction in the severity of chronic 
conditions is a testament to the good and constructive health policy 
that Democrats are committed to. However, the Trump administration has 
sought to undermine the ACA and the benefits it brings to the Latino 
community.
  Earlier this year in a bipartisan vote, the U.S. House of 
Representatives felt compelled to rebuke the Trump administration for 
its promotion of the skinny junk plans that offer no guarantee of 
essential health benefits. That is no guarantee for mental health 
treatment; no guarantee for preventive healthcare, which lowers the 
overall cost of healthcare; and no guarantee for prescription drug 
coverage.
  According to the data collected from the Kaiser Family Foundation, 
from 2013 to 2017, people of color had higher uninsured rates than non-
Hispanic Whites prior to 2014. And it was only after the Affordable 
Care Act came into effect that Latinos had larger gains in health 
insurance coverage from 2013 to 2016 than non-Hispanic Whites. But our 
work is not done. It is truly not done.
  Every day we are working to curb the destructive actions of this 
administration to harm the gains that we have made in the healthcare 
arena and well-being of the Latino community overall, and we continue 
working to close the health equity gaps that the ACA did not address.
  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Latino 
Americans are twice as likely to have type 2 diabetes than White 
Americans. In the United States, adults over their lifetime have a 40 
percent chance of developing type 2 diabetes, but the Latino adult has 
a rate of 50 percent higher. Given that, coverage of and the overall 
cost of insulin--a necessary treatment for managing diabetes--is a 
priority for the Congressional Hispanic Caucus.

  Since the start of this 116th Congress, the Congressional Hispanic 
Caucus has invited the CEOs of insulin manufacturers and pharmacy 
benefit managers to meet with us and explain how and why insulin 
remains unaffordable for so many Americans. We met with the largest 
pharmacy benefit managers in this country who collectively comprise 78 
percent of the market and cover 180 million individuals with health 
insurance: CVS Health, Express Scripts, and OptumRx of UnitedHealth 
Group. In our discussions we were, quite frankly, met with much 
resistance by all parties in the prescription drug supply chain and 
pharmacy benefits business.
  It is infuriating for patients at the local pharmacy counter; and 
trust me, it is infuriating to me and my colleagues in the 
Congressional Hispanic Caucus.
  In addition to benefits managers, the CHC met with the CEOs of the 
top three insulin manufacturers who produce 90 percent of the global 
insulin supply and 100 percent of the supply for diabetic patients in 
the United States of America. They are Sanofi, Novo Nordisk, and Eli 
Lilly and Company.
  It may seem impossible, but Dr. Frederick Banting who discovered and 
cultivated insulin as a treatment for diabetes, sold the patent for his 
remarkable drug for only $1 to the University of Toronto.
  Madam Speaker, he sold this important patent that has saved the lives 
of millions of people just for $1 to the University of Toronto, yet the 
price of insulin both with insurance and without it has risen 
astronomically to the point where diabetic patients must make the 
decision between purchasing lifesaving insulin versus paying their 
rent, finding childcare for their families, or getting an education.
  We asked them why this is, and, in short, they simply did not have a 
good answer.
  So we are concerned, Madam Speaker, that the patent for insulin which 
was sold by Dr. Frederick Banting to the University of Toronto for $1 
has now been placed in a position that is inaccessible to patients 
across America who will subsequently die without having that treatment.
  But we are committed to shedding a light on this obscured process and 
making sure that patients receive the therapies they need at the price 
they can afford. This is our promise. This is our commitment.
  We, as the Congressional Hispanic Caucus and greater Democratic 
Caucus, are committed to fighting for healthcare that lies in stark 
contrast to this White House administration. That is why we have passed 
legislation to strengthen the ACA, not to weaken it, not to obliterate 
it, but to strengthen it, and it is why we will consider landmark 
legislation later this month to help lower the cost of prescription 
drugs.
  Now, before I conclude, Madam Speaker, I want to lay out some 
important events taking place as we speak, because they will have an 
unimaginably detrimental impact on the state of health in the Latino 
community.
  The Trump Department of Justice and Attorney General William Barr 
abandoned their obligation to defend our current healthcare system and 
the Affordable Care Act. The State of Texas is seeking to invalidate 
the ACA and unravel the law that has benefited constituents across 
America represented in this, the House of Representatives of the U.S. 
Congress, and this Department of Justice is willing to let this happen 
undeterred.
  This administration told the Texas district court that it was opting 
to not defend existing regulations such as protections for preexisting 
conditions. Imagine that, Madam Speaker, not protecting preexisting 
conditions, meaning that those who suffer from diabetes and those who 
suffer from hypertension and cardiovascular problems who have 
preexisting conditions will not be protected and will be out in the 
cold.
  This administration is turning its back on over 130 million 
Americans, including 17 million children and adolescents with 
preexisting conditions. With no plan or idea of what to do going 
forward, they are willing to harm the lives of millions of Americans. 
This is purely irresponsible, and it is reprehensible.
  Neither the Congressional Hispanic Caucus nor Democrats will allow 
this to happen unchecked. We will continue to work hard to make sure 
healthcare continues to be made more affordable and more equally 
accessible for all

[[Page H9249]]

Americans, especially people whom we represent.
  Madam Speaker, I am so grateful for this opportunity. I will now 
conclude, Madam Speaker. I would like to thank my colleagues who could 
not be here today or are here today.
  And I would like to reiterate that we will defend the Affordable Care 
Act and make sure that Latinos across America are not further harmed by 
this administration or partisan politics.
  We are committed to lowering the cost of prescription drugs and 
making sure that insulin remains available and affordable to all 
communities across America and particularly communities of color that 
are disproportionately affected by diabetes. And we will raise hell 
every time that we find another instance of capricious price inflation 
or market consolidation or an obvious attempt to shift the blame.
  With that, Madam Speaker, the Congressional Hispanic Caucus will not 
cease in our advocacy for the healthcare and the well-being of our 
communities that we represent here in the Congress and across our 
country.
  This is a crucial time in America where the Affordable Care Act, as 
presented by the past administration, not only provided access to 
healthcare for people with preexisting conditions and not only did it 
allow our children up to the age of 26 to be part of our health plan, 
but it also provided funding for Medicaid and Medicare. It also 
provided funding for mental health services, an arena that has, for far 
too long, been left aside with not having the appropriate funding that 
it needs, and for people suffering from opioid addiction.

                              {time}  1445

  These are the services that were provided by the ACA. This 
administration has moved forward to dismantle it and to put people's 
lives in jeopardy.
  Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

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