[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[House]
[Page 4029]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                     DRIVING DOWN HEALTHCARE COSTS

  (Mr. FERGUSON asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. FERGUSON. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of the American 
Health Care Act. For 25 years, I practiced dentistry in Georgia's Third 
District, and I saw firsthand a healthcare system in need of reform to 
reduce costs and increase access to care.
  After ObamaCare was signed into law, these problems only got worse. I 
saw my patients, friends, and neighbors forced away from their doctors 
that they trusted. Instead of decreasing costs, patients saw their 
premiums skyrocket, their deductibles skyrocket, and their access to 
care limited. As a healthcare provider, I want to do what is best for 
my patients. I committed to them that I would come to Congress to 
repeal ObamaCare and undo the damage that it has done to our healthcare 
system.
  The legislation we are currently considering in the House, the 
American Health Care Act, is just the first step toward keeping that 
promise. By passing this legislation, we begin to move the ball down 
the field and gain yardage rather than continuing to lose ground. This 
is not our only play. It is the first step in beginning to drive down 
costs and increasing access to care for patients.
  This legislation will keep our promise to repeal ObamaCare and 
eliminate the government mandates that force people to purchase a 
product that they don't want. It will allow patients the freedom to 
make their own healthcare decisions and drive down their costs.

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