[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 8]
[Senate]
[Page 10458]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

  Mr. REID. Mr. President, today in this great country of ours the 
Affordable Care Act--ObamaCare--has survived the latest partisan 
attempt to deny health coverage to working families. Millions of 
working families won today. America won today. The Supreme Court ruled 
against Republicans who were seeking to strip 6.5 million Americans of 
the subsidies that enable them to buy health insurance coverage. 
America won, I repeat, very pure, very simple.
  More than 10 million Americans are covered in the exchanges operating 
across the country, many of them insured for the first time, and 85 
percent of these men and women receive tax credits that help them 
afford that coverage.
  On top of that, 12 million more Americans now have coverage through 
the Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Programs. The Commonwealth 
Fund recently found that more than 8 in 10 adults--four-fifths--of 
people who have these programs are satisfied with them. The Affordable 
Care Act is not perfect. No law ever is. But this law is working for 
millions--approaching 20 million--Americans.
  Once again, the Affordable Care Act prevailed. So I say to my Senate 
colleagues, respectfully--and I mean that--stop banging your heads 
against the wall. This legislation passed. It is the law of this 
Nation. Stop. Move on. Republicans should pause for a minute and look 
back.
  I don't know the number anymore. I don't know, I lost count--is it 
75? It is certainly approaching 100--of the actual votes which have 
taken place to repeal the law. Never even came close to passing, but 
they have done it time and time again. Stop it. Think of the time 
wasted doing it. As Einstein said, the pure definition of insanity is 
someone who keeps doing the same thing over and over again and gets the 
same results.
  I would hope the Republicans would rethink what they have been up 
to--their reckless, cynical attempts to increase taxes on millions of 
middle-income families. That is what it amounts to.
  I was interested in looking at the paper today regarding what 
Republicans have suggested doing if the Supreme Court ruled against 
this law. Every one of them, without exception, would be a tremendous 
blow to the budgeting process of America. This bill makes America 
money. It has cut the deficit significantly. That is why I say it makes 
the country money. It allows for a more healthy nation.
  Republicans weren't content to jeopardize the health of Americans in 
need of coverage assistance in order to exact political revenge against 
President Obama. They were happy trying to do that. I also think it is 
important to note that Republicans who worked on this legislation in 
the process going through the committees here admitted that the 
legislation drafters never discussed withholding subsidies in the 
manner suggested by the plaintiffs. Republicans who worked on the 
legislation said that.
  So I think the public has basically had it with Republicans trying to 
take away a law that protects them from insurance company 
discrimination when they get sick or hurt. Enough is enough.
  I had a ``Welcome to Washington.'' I have them every Thursday. I had 
a group of people here from Nevada who have family members who suffer 
from cystic fibrosis. They were able to tell me that for the first time 
in the lives of their children they could not be denied insurance. They 
are adults now. They can't be denied insurance coverage because of this 
law. If this had been repealed, people with cystic fibrosis and many 
other diseases would not be able to get health insurance. So let's move 
on. Stop this. Stop wasting the time of the American people by trying 
to repeal the law.
  I appreciate the work done by the Supreme Court, a 6-to-3 decision. 
It was a good decision, a strong decision that upheld the law. Enough 
is enough. Let's move on.

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