[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 20207]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   MAKING HEALTH INSURANCE AFFORDABLE

  (Mr. LaMALFA asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LaMALFA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share the story of one of 
my constituents who has been severely impacted by the rising costs 
under the Affordable Care Act.
  Mr. Watts, from Chico, California, was recently notified by his 
insurer that his health coverage will shut down at the end of the year. 
In its place, he was offered another plan that ``may meet his needs'' 
and that he will be automatically enrolled. That is right. They just 
sign him up for one.
  The problem is, this plan, which covers an adult and two teens, sees 
his monthly premium skyrocket to $2,067 per month, an increase of $831. 
That is a huge increase, 67 percent, costing him upwards of $9,900 per 
year in new costs, bringing his total costs for health insurance to 
nearly $25,000 per year.
  Unsurprisingly, Mr. Watts is no longer able to afford his insurance, 
and many in Northern California and across the country currently find 
themselves in the same position.
  Sadly, my office staff and I have heard this story countless times. 
Many in my district were pretty happy with their insurance before 
ObamaCare, and now, under the individual mandate, they are forced to 
pay for insurance they can't afford.
  But with the repeal of the individual mandate, as in H.R. 1, which 
passed today, individuals like Mr. Watts are not punished for failing 
to purchase unaffordable insurance. Instead, we will seek to allow 
affordable choices for Americans to choose themselves.

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