[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 12]
[House]
[Page 17356]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

  (Mrs. CHRISTENSEN asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Mrs. CHRISTENSEN. Mr. Speaker, despite the fact that the robust 
provisions passed in the House were significantly reduced in the 
Senate, the people of the Virgin Islands are benefiting in many ways 
from the Affordable Care Act.
  As an example, a physician related to me that the insured 21- to 25-
year-olds and the preventive care without copay kept her practice 
afloat, and the insurance rebate and tax credits for small businesses 
enabled her to provide insurance for her employees without requiring 
contributions from them.
  In addition, seniors and people with disabilities saved an average of 
$647 on medicines. Health centers in my district were able to expand 
space and services; children with sickle cell, asthma, and diabetes 
could be insured; every newborn will get an important home visit; and 
the new Medicaid dollars will enable us to provide coverage for up to 
half of our now uninsured.
  We still have work to do to ensure full access in the Virgin Islands 
and the Nation, but the Affordable Care Act has already made a positive 
difference in the lives of many of our constituents. The ACA is helping 
Americans in all of the States and territories, and we will continue to 
build on its successes, not yield to Republican opportunism and 
obstructionism.

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