[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 3247]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                            REPEAL OBAMACARE

  (Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana asked and was given permission to address 
the House for 1 minute.)
  Mr. JOHNSON of Louisiana. Madam Speaker, we are excited today about 
the renewal of the American spirit. One big step in that renewal is the 
repeal of ObamaCare.
  The ACA is failing and the American people are suffering because of 
it. Premiums have skyrocketed and healthcare decisions are no longer 
being made by patients and doctors but by out-of-touch Washington 
bureaucrats often motivated by their own self-interests.
  In my State of Louisiana alone, some insurance providers have 
projected rates to increase as much as 41 percent in 2017. There is 
nothing about that number that is affordable, and many are choosing to 
forego healthcare coverage altogether, rather than suffer under the 
weight of the new, increased costs.
  Some would suggest that a higher cost should imply a higher quality 
of care, but even that is not true under our current system. In many 
areas across the United States, ObamaCare has removed nearly all 
competition in the marketplace and has left consumers with only one or 
two providers to choose from, further removing patient choice from the 
process.
  Patient-centered care is critical to a productive healthcare system, 
and Republicans in Congress have been working tirelessly to create a 
plan that benefits all Americans. Quality, affordable health care is 
within our reach. Contrary to what many in the media would have you 
believe, we will not pull the rug out from under the American people. 
Our focus is protecting patients, and what we are offering is a real 
solution to the disaster that is ObamaCare.

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