[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[House]
[Pages 581-582]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                 AFFORDABLE CARE ACT REPEAL AND REPLACE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Brownley) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BROWNLEY of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise this morning to share 
the story of Judith and her daughter KC.
  Like all mothers, Judith only wants the best for her children--to 
live a full and purposeful life, the ability to pursue their dreams and 
reach their utmost potential. However, at a very young age of 11, KC 
was formally diagnosed with bipolar disorder. This health condition 
causes KC to have uncontrollable mood swings, to perceive reality 
differently, to see and hear things that aren't there, and to sometimes 
even become disconnected with reality altogether.
  It has taken an enormous emotional and physical toll on KC and her 
family.
  As a mom of two kids, I cannot imagine the difficulties that Judith 
has faced. Some nights, Judith had to hold her daughter tightly all 
night long to help her through her psychosis and her panic, not to 
mention the emergency hospitalizations.
  Living with this condition has been a lifelong struggle for KC and 
for her family. It requires a combination of daily medications, weekly 
psychiatric treatments, hospital visits, and constant support and 
medical care. And that is only half the story.
  Without this intensive treatment, KC would simply be unable to 
function. With it, she has the tools she needs to live a healthy and 
productive life.
  When KC was younger, she was covered by a family healthcare policy, 
but

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even then, Judith needed to pinch pennies and barely scrape by due to 
the high cost of insurance co-pays and deductibles, costing her $13- to 
$15,000 per month. To try to keep up with her never ending medical 
bills, Judith used all of her retirement savings.
  When KC reached adulthood, she was bumped off the family insurance 
plan. Fortunately, KC qualified for healthcare coverage through the ACA 
Medicaid expansion. Without it, she and her family would have had no 
viable alternative.
  The ACA provided KC with access to reliable, consistent medical care 
that has been vital to her well-being and has allowed her to thrive.

                              {time}  1045

  I am very happy to share that KC finished her bachelor's degree in 
May and is now pursuing her master's in counseling psychology.
  With her own struggles as her inspiration, she decided to make 
psychology her life's work, and Judith says that KC is now the person 
whom everybody goes to anytime one has a problem or needs comfort.
  Without the healthcare coverage that KC obtained from the Affordable 
Care Act, she would never have been able to obtain private health 
insurance due to her preexisting conditions and rigorous health needs. 
With the Affordable Care Act, Judith was able to see her daughter 
realize her dreams.
  I know all of you who are parents want the same for your children; 
so, when I hear my colleagues on the other side of the aisle talk about 
eliminating KC's healthcare coverage, I get a pit at the bottom of my 
stomach. This is not about politics; this is about people's lives. This 
is about KC's life and Judith's life and the lives of 20 million 
Americans who have gained healthcare coverage because of the Affordable 
Care Act.
  Today, I rise to speak up for KC and for Judith and for the millions 
of other Americans whose lives would be put in jeopardy if we repeal 
the ACA without our having an adequate replacement.
  I urge my Republican colleagues to reconsider this reckless repeal 
that would throw our entire healthcare system into chaos and take 
lifesaving care away from those who need it the most.

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