[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 14]
[House]
[Page 20437]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                    HEALTHCARE AND LITTLE LOBBYISTS

  (Ms. KAPTUR asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to defend our Nation's 
children.
  The GOP tax scam repeals the provision assuring all families have 
health insurance access. Nonpartisan experts estimate 13 million fewer 
Americans will be insured because of the Republican repeal, including 
millions of children.
  Yesterday I met with families from the Little Lobbyists. I was struck 
by Laura Hatcher's story of her child and her emotion when she learned 
about the passage of the Affordable Care Act. She burst into tears. She 
knew her son, who has cerebral palsy, could gain insurance with no fear 
of discrimination due to preexisting conditions.
  Ms. Hatcher urged yesterday that America must turn from its 
destructive and immoral path. She said: We are here to show what access 
to affordable, quality healthcare and programs like Medicaid mean for 
our families. These programs that the Republican Congress intends to 
cut to fund tax breaks to wealthy heirs and corporations are the 
difference between our children having a future or being forced back 
into institutions reminiscent of a Dickens novel. This is wrong.
  Mr. Speaker, Members of Congress were elected to protect and defend 
the American people, not put families like the Hatchers at risk because 
of the Republican's billionaire tax bill.
  Mr. Speaker, I include in the Record Laura Hatcher's remarks:

                         Laura Hatcher Remarks

       Thank you Leader Pelosi for inviting the Little Lobbyists 
     here today to speak on behalf of families of children with 
     complex medical needs.
       It's the holidays and the Muppet version of ``A Christmas 
     Carol'' has been on repeat at my house. We're all big Muppet 
     fans and my 11-year-old son Simon loves music, silliness, and 
     a sweet story. I also think another reason Simon likes the 
     movie so much is because he identifies with the character 
     ``Tiny Tim.'' It's easy to see the resemblance. Like Tim, 
     Simon is sweet and kind, he loves Christmas, he even sits by 
     the fireplace and sings sometimes.
       Dickens doesn't identify Tiny Tim's diagnosis, but I 
     imagine he might have had cerebral palsy like Simon. Simon 
     has trouble walking and like Tim, he wears braces to support 
     his legs. Though I miss him being little enough to carry on 
     my shoulders the way Bob Cratchit carries Tiny Tim, Simon 
     still loves to be held and hugged. And I do hug him all the 
     time, as often as I can. Because, like the Cratchits, due to 
     another rare disease we don't yet understand, we Hatchers 
     don't know how long we'll have Simon with us.
       I also find it's strikingly easy to draw another analogy 
     between ``A Christmas Carol'' (Muppet version included), and 
     what's happening in our lives right now. In the story, the 
     miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is warned that his decisions have 
     far-reaching consequences that impact many people. The same 
     can be said of the decisions being made by Congress today. 
     The choices they're making, like whether or not to pass this 
     tax bill, have far reaching consequences for us all.
       It is for this reason my family has been coming to Capitol 
     Hill with the Little Lobbyists since July. Our government 
     seemed to turn away from protecting people with disabilities 
     and complex medical needs, like my little boy, and began 
     trying to take away the legal protections and programs my 
     son's life and my family's future depend on. Lately it seems 
     like everything is under threat--accessibility, education, 
     and health care.
       It was less than 10 years ago that the passage of the 
     Affordable Care Act made sure that people with preexisting 
     conditions, like my Simon, would always have the right to 
     health care. It promised families like mine could not be cut 
     off by insurers and forced into bankruptcy because our 
     child's health care was just too expensive. It expanded 
     Medicaid, including waiver programs, so more kids like Simon 
     can have access to the therapy, health care, and inclusion 
     programs they need to survive and thrive in their 
     communities.
       I remember the exact moment it passed--I was in the grocery 
     store and I burst into tears of relief when my husband texted 
     me with the news. After years of worrying every single day 
     about how we'd be able to care for our sweet boy in the 
     future, it finally seemed like things were going to be okay. 
     Living with that knowledge has been a huge gift for a family 
     like ours, who routinely deal with life and death situations 
     most families can't imagine.
       But since this summer there have been multiple attempts to 
     repeal the ACA, including as a part of this Tax Bill. Non-
     partisan experts have told us that 13 million people will 
     lose access to health insurance if it passes. Once the ACA is 
     weakened, protection for people with pre-existing conditions 
     will become too costly to afford.
       Very soon, I could once again be facing a future where I 
     don't know how I'll be able to care for my child. This is a 
     thought I simply find too difficult to bear.
       And all of this is happening against the advice of experts. 
     Without the input of those it will impact. It makes one 
     wonder who our government is listening to, if not us. 
     According to lobbying disclosure forms, this tax bill was 
     written with the input of over 6,000 (real, not little) 
     lobbyists. Some representatives have even said publicly that 
     their donors have told them to ``get it done, or else.''
       Or else. We parents of medically complex kids understand 
     consequences. We know what will happen if this tax bill 
     passes, if our country does not turn from this destructive 
     and immoral path.
       And so, here we are. We are the ghosts of ``Christmas 
     present.'' We are here to show legislators what access to 
     affordable, quality health care and programs like Medicaid 
     mean for our families. These programs, that Congress intends 
     to cut to fund tax breaks to wealthy heirs and corporations, 
     are literally the difference between our children having a 
     future in their homes and communities, or being forced back 
     into institutions reminiscent of a Dickens' novel. This is 
     wrong.
       We're also here to show everyone that kids with complex 
     medical needs and disabilities are just kids. They love to 
     play, they love to learn, they love the Muppets. And as 
     Americans they deserve to have a government that protects 
     them. Today, as a mother and as a voice of conscience, I'm 
     asking everyone that can hear me that can see these 
     children--please protect them. Help us make sure that 
     Christmases yet to come are even more joyful than those past.
       God bless us, everyone.

                          ____________________