[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 1670]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                              {time}  1215
                          AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

  (Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. GENE GREEN of Texas. Mr. Speaker, I rise to highlight the success 
of the Affordable Care Act.
  The numbers are in and, once again, millions of Americans signed up 
for quality affordable health coverage. More than 12.7 million 
Americans selected plans through the health insurance marketplaces--4 
million, or 42 percent, of whom were new customers this year.
  People want coverage. And, thanks to the ACA, millions can now have 
the security of knowing they won't go bankrupt if they get sick or have 
an accident, can't be denied coverage because of a preexisting 
condition, and have access to preventative and primary care services at 
little to no out-of-pocket cost.
  In the 29th District that I am proud to represent, 55,000 residents 
fall into the expansion gap and have no insurance because States 
haven't expanded Medicaid. It is time for Texas and other States to do 
the right thing and recognize that health care is essential for some of 
our poorest families by expanding Medicaid.
  The Affordable Care Act is here to stay. I hope Congress will move 
past repeal attempts and start talking about how we can make the 
Affordable Care Act work even better for the American people. I stand 
ready to work with my colleagues on this critical issue.

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