[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 1]
[House]
[Page 782]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT WORKS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New 
Jersey (Mr. Payne) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. PAYNE. Mr. Speaker, one of my constituents, Paul from Montclair, 
New Jersey, shared with my office his struggle with bladder cancer, 
HIV, and severe depression. He told us that he is scared, like most 
people who rely on the Affordable Care Act, because Republicans are 
determined to gut this legislation. He told us that he depends on the 
ACA for his medications and treatments, without which he fears he will 
die.
  Paul lives on an unstable income, and it is only because of the ACA 
that he is able to afford his treatments. The staffer in my office who 
spoke with Paul told me that he could feel the fear in Paul's voice as 
he listened to Paul's story. Paul is rightly concerned about whether he 
will be able to afford his next urologist appointment and what will 
happen if he can no longer pay for his depression medication.
  Now, Paul told us that this was the first time that he publicly 
announced his medical conditions because he wants people to see the 
human face on the problem of the ACA repeal. He wants people to know 
that the ACA is keeping people alive.
  Over 20 million people now depend on the ACA. They are not empty 
numbers. They are real people who deserve affordable, quality health 
coverage. ACA repeal would strip them of this coverage and make it 
impossible for them to get the care they rightly need.
  Democrats will continue to stand our ground on the ACA, and we will 
continue to stand up for people who depend on the law, like Paul. We 
will refuse to make America sick again and create chaos in our Nation's 
healthcare system.

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