[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[House]
[Pages 4346-4347]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       CONDEMNING HEALTHCARE BILL

  (Mr. GOTTHEIMER asked and was given permission to address the House 
for 1 minute.)
  Mr. GOTTHEIMER. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak out against the

[[Page 4347]]

healthcare bill that is currently making its way through the House. It 
is an attack on seniors that will raise New Jersey taxes, and I refuse 
to sit idly by.
  First, it includes a premium senior tax that would make older 
Americans pay five times more for their health care.
  Second, the plan before Congress takes aim at long-term care to 
support the elderly and disabled and could ultimately throw seniors out 
of nursing homes. Three out of five nursing home residents in New 
Jersey rely on Medicaid to access long-term care.
  Finally, it is not only seniors who would be hurt. This bill is a new 
tax on all New Jersey residents. It cuts Medicaid and leaves the State 
holding the bag for other States, and it puts additional costs on New 
Jersey to confront healthcare challenges like the opioid crisis 
sweeping our State.
  We need a bipartisan fix to the Affordable Care Act. This plan does 
just the opposite. I am ready to sit at the table with Democrats, 
Republicans, and Independents to come up with a real fix.

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