[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 16966]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Pennsylvania (Mr. Thompson) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, millions of Americans 
are now experiencing firsthand the failures of a massive undertaking to 
roll out the Affordable Care Act. While well-intentioned, our 
colleagues who had a Democrat supermajority in the White House, the 
Senate, and this House pushed through a partisan bill ignoring warnings 
of those like myself who have worked in the health care field for 
decades.
  Prior to being elected to Congress, I spent nearly three decades in a 
nonprofit health care setting, serving my neighbors who were facing 
life-changing disease and disability. When it was time to weigh in on 
public policy, Members like me were muzzled. We were told to pass a 
bill to see what was in it. Well, that is exactly what happened, 
despite our continued dissent.
  Phones are ringing off the hooks in Members' offices. Constituents 
who have lost their health insurance policies and experienced 
unaffordable premium hikes are angry. They were made a promise by the 
President that they could keep their health plans. Now, reportedly, 
more than 5 million individuals have lost their policies. Undoubtedly, 
this is just the beginning of Americans not being able to keep the 
insurance that they like.
  One of my constituents, Sam, from Erie County, Pennsylvania, has been 
affected. He has been on the same policy that has provided him with 
adequate coverage, exactly what he was looking for, for years. He no 
longer has access to that coverage.
  Or Lisa and her husband, both self-employed and hailing from 
Punxsutawney in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. They have five 
children--two in college, one in high school, and two working. After 
receiving notice that their effective and affordable health insurance 
policy was canceled, they have now been saddled with cost increases of 
over $20,000 a year.
  How about John from Clearfield County, who emailed my congressional 
office this week after being informed by his insurer that, due to 
changes under the Affordable Care Act, his policy is now canceled. He 
owns a small business that no longer qualifies for the group plan under 
the law's requirements.
  Then there is Sonya from northeast Pennsylvania, right on the shores 
of Lake Erie. She has had the same policy for the last 4 years, and it 
is being canceled. She stated that it is unfair she should have to buy 
more expensive insurance; not to mention, she says, it will cost much 
more over the long run when you factor in her new deductible.
  Madam Speaker, this is an outrage. These are just several of 
countless examples--I want to say ``endless examples''--of real harm 
being experienced by hardworking Americans, my constituents, as a 
result of this flawed law.
  Madam Speaker, the time I have been granted on this floor is not 
sufficient for me to share the growing number of voices from the Fifth 
District of Pennsylvania who are having their policies canceled and 
being forced to buy insurance that they can't afford, that they don't 
want and they don't need.
  Those at the White House that masterminded this catastrophic attack 
on insurance affordability and choice released their preliminary 
numbers for winners and losers yesterday. Nationwide, roughly 100,000 
have obtained insurance policies through the national and State 
exchanges combined. Many of these individuals, unfortunately, are now 
experiencing the sticker shock of significant costs when premiums and 
deductible expenses are combined and considered. The sad part is that 
these are the winners. That is just how bad this health care law is. 
Americans deserve access to health insurance that they choose and can 
afford.
  Madam Speaker, a large block of Members in this body are standing up 
and putting forward solutions to these failures, including some of my 
colleagues on the other side of the aisle.
  Senator Mary Landrieu, a Democrat from Louisiana, recently announced 
she would propose legislation to ensure all Americans could keep their 
existing insurance coverage under ObamaCare. But ``it's not just red-
State Democrats,'' as Politico reports today. Senator Dianne Feinstein, 
a Democrat from California, yesterday announced she would support the 
bipartisan effort to allow Americans to keep the plans they know and 
like.
  Unfortunately, Madam Speaker, these proposals that are being put 
forward by my Democratic colleagues mean that we would have to change 
the law. Unfortunately, Senate Leader Reid doesn't like the optics of 
having this debate on its merits, even if it would help Americans keep 
the insurance they know and like, as the President repeatedly promised.
  I want to thank the growing number of my colleagues for doing what is 
right and placing good policy before politics. This law is flawed. It 
is sinking by its own weight. Now we must act to fix its fatal flaws. 
If we don't, those who want to protect the political reputation of the 
White House will allow it to continue, no matter how much harm is 
caused upon the American people.
  Madam Speaker, the American people deserve better.

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