[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 11]
[House]
[Page 15611]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         IMPROVING HEALTH CARE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Quigley) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. QUIGLEY. Mr. Speaker, this body has attempted to repeal the 
health care law 41 times. The act's repeal or delay is being used as 
leverage in the current budget fight, but I just want to take a few 
minutes to remind people why we passed the health reform law in the 
first place.
  Let's remember the situation before ObamaCare became law. Clearly the 
status quo was not sustainable. The number one cause of personal 
bankruptcy in the United States was medical costs, and 60 percent of 
those who filed for bankruptcy had insurance. Forty-seven million 
Americans were without health care. Premiums were rising three times 
faster than wages, eating up more of our paychecks and bottom lines.
  The average family was already paying a hidden health care tax of 
over $1,000 annually in premiums as a direct result of subsidizing the 
cost of the uninsured. Small businesses were paying 18 percent more 
than larger employers for health insurance. People with preexisting 
conditions were denied coverage or thrown off their coverage when they 
got sick and needed it most. Senior citizens fell into the doughnut 
hole and had to pay hundreds of dollars out of pocket for their 
prescriptions.
  We cannot go back. We cannot repeal this essential law. We must move 
forward together and fix the very real problems with health care 
reform; but before we do that, we have to stop spreading falsehoods and 
set the record straight about what is in the law and what is not.
  Myth number one: Members of Congress and their staffs are somehow 
exempt from the law. Not only are Members and their staff not exempt 
from the law, but they are actually subject to extra requirements. 
Insurance marketplaces that Members and staff must now join were 
actually designed for people who currently do not have insurance or get 
it on the individual market. People who already have insurance through 
their employers, like Members and their staff, don't need to get 
insurance through the marketplace because they already have coverage. 
Still, due to a messaging amendment in the ACA, Members and their staff 
were required to get their insurance through the marketplace and they 
will.
  Myth number two: the Affordable Care Act is a job killer. First of 
all, 97 percent of small employers are exempt from the requirements to 
provide insurance. Second, most large employers who are required to 
provide coverage already do so. Aside from reporting requirements, the 
ACA will only require about 1 percent of businesses to do anything 
differently. Some on the other side of this aisle often cite a 
Congressional Budget Office report which said the ACA would lead to a 
reduction in the amount of labor in the economy by one-half of one 
percent. What the critics failed to add is that the same report noted 
that the small reduction in labor would come primarily from people 
choosing to work less.
  There are legitimate concerns from small restaurants and hospitality 
entities that are worried about affording affordable coverage for their 
part-time employees. These concerns are real and should be addressed; 
but exaggerating claims that the ACA is a job killer and trying to 
repeal or defund it rather than remedy it does nothing to help those 
businesses with real concerns.
  Myth number three: the Affordable Care Act is driving up premiums. 
Some historical context is important here. Premiums grew 119 percent 
between 1999 and the year 2008. Over the last 2 years, premiums have 
only increased an average of 4 percent. On the individual level, 
because insurance companies can no longer charge older individuals 
significantly more than younger folks, this will shift some costs to 
younger Americans. However, the insurance subsidies provided by the law 
will significantly blunt those potential cost increases. Those who are 
uninsured with preexisting conditions who previously could not get 
coverage will likely pay less. Finally, those with employer-provided 
coverage, the majority of Americans, will see little change.
  We need to do more to hold down the cost of health care; but rather 
than talking about real cost reduction reforms, opponents of the law 
are simply trying to repeal it--41 times. This Nation's health care 
system faces real challenges, and we need real solutions. If critics of 
the law spent as much energy on developing legitimate solutions as they 
do on perpetuating falsehoods about the ACA, we might make some 
progress. Let's stop the fear-mongering, come together and have a real 
conversation about improving our health care system.

                          ____________________