[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 3515-3516]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                      THE AMERICAN HEALTH CARE ACT

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
North Carolina (Ms. Foxx) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, for years Americans across the country have 
struggled under a government takeover of health care. Because of 
ObamaCare, insurance markets are collapsing, healthcare costs are 
soaring, and patients' choices are dwindling. Simply put, the flawed 
healthcare law is failing. It is hurting hardworking men and

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women across the country, and the American people deserve better.
  That is why Republicans promised to deliver the healthcare solutions 
Americans desperately need. This week, we are making good on that 
promise and moving forward with an effort that will provide a better 
way on health care.
  After a thoughtful and collaborative process, members of the Energy 
and Commerce Committee and the Ways and Means Committee recently 
unveiled a legislative plan that will repeal and replace ObamaCare. The 
plan, the American Health Care Act, includes a number of positive, 
commonsense reforms that will help create more choices, lower costs, 
and give control back to individuals and families.
  These reforms will create a new and innovative fund giving States the 
flexibility they need to design programs that fit the needs of their 
communities. They will responsibly unwind ObamaCare's Medicaid 
expansion in a way that protects patients and strengthens the program 
for future generations.
  The plan will also dismantle ObamaCare taxes and mandates--including 
the individual and employer mandate penalties and taxes on prescription 
drugs, over-the-counter medications, health insurance premiums, and 
medical devices. It will expand health savings accounts to empower 
individuals and families to spend their healthcare dollars the way they 
want and need. It will provide tax credits to those who don't receive 
insurance through work or a government program, helping all Americans 
access high quality, affordable health care.
  At the same time, we on the Education and the Workforce Committee are 
working to advance additional reforms that will help expand coverage, 
make health care more affordable, and promote a healthy workforce.
  One legislative proposal will empower small businesses to band 
together to negotiate lower healthcare costs on behalf of their 
employees. Another will protect the ability of employers to self-
insure, providing greater access to affordable, flexible healthcare 
plans for their workers. The third will give employers the legal 
certainty they need to offer employee wellness plans, helping to 
promote a healthy workforce and, again, lower healthcare costs.
  These three legislative proposals reflect a few shared principles. 
Families should have the freedom to choose the healthcare plan that 
meets their needs. Americans need more affordable healthcare options, 
not fewer. Healthcare decisions should rest with patients and their 
doctors--not government bureaucrats. Instead of prescriptive mandates, 
we should ensure employers have the tools they need to help their 
employees afford health care.
  These proposals--along with those in the American Health Care Act--
are exactly the kind of free-market, patient-centered reforms 
Republicans promised, and they reflect the priorities of President 
Trump and his administration. They are the products of a careful 
process that took into account the ideas and concerns of men and women 
from all walks of life, and they will now be considered through an 
open, transparent process that provides policymakers on both sides of 
the aisle an opportunity to share their views and offer their ideas.
  I encourage everyone--my colleagues in Congress, as well as all 
Americans--to join in this process. Visit readthebill.gop. See for 
yourself the plan we have laid out, and help us move forward with these 
positive solutions. Together we can help ensure all Americans have 
access to the high quality, affordable healthcare coverage they 
deserve.

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