[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 8]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 11859]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




H.R. 2667 AND H.R. 2668, TO AMEND THE PATIENT PROTECTION AND AFFORDABLE 
                                CARE ACT

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                           HON. DEREK KILMER

                             of washington

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 18, 2013

  Mr. KILMER. Mr. Speaker, as Congress considers two pieces of 
legislation related to the Affordable Care Act, I rise today to point 
out the silly exercise we're going through. On days like today, the 
American public gets to see exactly why Congress' approval rating is at 
historic lows.
   Today, we're voting on two bills that would amend provisions of the 
Affordable Care Act. The first bill before us, H.R. 2667, would delay 
the so-called employer mandate provision until January 1, 2015. Given 
that the Administration has already said that they are delaying the 
employer mandate provision until that time, this bill won't actually do 
anything.
   Mr. Speaker, the other bill we're voting on, H.R. 2668, would delay 
the implementation of the so-called individual mandate for one year. 
This bill would severely undermine the integrity of the Affordable Care 
Act. While I wasn't in Congress when the Affordable Care Act was passed 
into law, it is clear that this provision is needed to help make 
insurance affordable for all Americans and finally end the ability for 
insurance companies to deny coverage to those who have pre-existing 
conditions. By delaying the individual mandate, this bill would raise 
premiums on working class families and cause significant harm to our 
efforts to make health insurance accessible to all Americans.
   I am proud of the work the State of Washington has done, through its 
state-based exchange and Medicaid expansion efforts, to make health 
insurance accessible for more than half a million uninsured 
Washingtonians. This will not only lead to a healthier population, but 
save Washington State an estimated $280 million by the end of 2015, and 
add 10,000 new jobs as a result of the coming health care changes.
   Before today's vote, I reached out to Washington State's Office of 
the Insurance Commissioner to discuss the individual insurance 
marketplace and the proposal to delay the individual mandate. I was 
assured that the marketplace is moving forward, full steam ahead. 
Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler said in a statement, ``Delaying 
the mandate would be unwise. It's an issue of personal responsibility. 
It's unfair for people who can afford coverage to not have it, and to 
expect the rest of us to cover the cost of their care if they become 
seriously sick or injured.''
   The decision to bring both of these bills to the floor in this 
manner is not guided by some public policy concern. It is not to put 
forward credible solutions to legitimate problems. It is nothing more 
than a cynical attempt to play politics and mock the notion that we 
should implement the Affordable Care Act in a thoughtful, pragmatic 
way.
   Mr. Speaker, I reject this false dichotomy. I support H.R. 2667, the 
Authority for Mandate Delay Act, not because I believe it solves an 
urgent problem, but for the same reason that I supported the 
Administration when they made this decision in the first place: the 
provisions have been determined to be too complex to implement prior to 
the existing deadline. I've met with several dozen employers in recent 
months who have asked for more time and greater certainty. That's what 
this bill does.
   On the other hand, I oppose H.R. 2668, the Fairness for American 
Families Act, because the individual marketplace is moving forward and 
is in a fundamentally different place. In fact, this bill would 
severely undermine our ability to provide affordable, comprehensive 
health insurance to Americans.

[From the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commisioner Updates, 
                             July 17, 2013]

       ``Delaying the mandate would be unwise. This is an issue of 
     personal responsibility. It's unfair for people who can 
     afford coverage to not have it, and to expect the rest of us 
     to cover the cost of their care if they become seriously sick 
     or injured.
       ``A critical part of the Affordable Care Act was the 
     provision requiring that insurers take all applicants. No 
     more screening out people because they have pre-existing 
     medical conditions. But to make that work, you have to have 
     as many people as possible in the insurance pool.
       ``Without an individual mandate to have coverage, people 
     would likely just buy insurance when they knew they needed 
     it. That's like letting people get homeowners insurance only 
     when their house catches fire.''

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