[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4471]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




     TESTIMONY OF DOMENIQUE THORNTON ON THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF THE 
                          AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. ROSA L. DeLAURO

                             of connecticut

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, March 20, 2017

  Ms. DeLAURO. Mr. Speaker, it is with great pride that I enter the 
powerful words of my constituent, Dominique Thornton, who supports the 
Affordable Care Act and the protections it provides our most vulnerable 
citizens.

       ``Thank you Congresswoman DeLauro for giving us this 
     opportunity to tell you how essential the Affordable Care Act 
     is in our lives and what a difference it has made for us not 
     to be denied insurance coverage because of preexisting 
     conditions. First of all I want to remind everyone that the 
     full name of the law is the Patient Protection and Affordable 
     Care Act. One of the most important protections it affords us 
     is the protection not to be denied health insurance coverage 
     due to preexisting conditions. Why would Members of Congress 
     who represent the people of their districts ever seek to 
     repeal patient protections?
       I speak today as a mother of an adult daughter who wanted 
     to be here personally to tell her story but could not be and 
     gave me her permission to share her story. I have been an 
     advocate for mental health for the last 10 years because I 
     found out that my daughter suffers from PTSD, chronic anxiety 
     and depression as well as other psychological conditions as a 
     result of sexual assault and physical abuse. One in five 
     women experience sexual assault in this country. One in four 
     has experienced domestic violence. Incredibly being the 
     victim of sexual assault or domestic violence and the 
     resulting psychological disorders are considered preexisting 
     conditions by insurance companies for which they will deny 
     coverage and consequently needed treatment. If a woman is 
     brave enough to report the trauma, she will be denied 
     coverage and treatment for it the next time she changes 
     insurance if the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act 
     is repealed. If a woman is struggling in the aftermath of 
     trauma and seeks treatment she will be penalized by being 
     denied coverage for the conditions she suffers as a result of 
     trauma the next time she changes policies if the ACA is 
     repealed. Her diagnosis will be a part of her permanent 
     health record which insurance companies will use to determine 
     what they will cover and what preexisting conditions will be 
     denied.

       Another patient protection that specifically protects women 
     and which will also be eliminated if the ACA is repealed is 
     equal cost for men and women. If the ACA is repealed 
     insurance companies will again be able to charge woman more 
     money for the same coverage as polices sold to men. It is 
     discriminatory that women earn only 80% of what men earn at 
     most but it is worse that they will also be charged higher 
     premiums than men for the same coverage through no fault of 
     their own except the immutable characteristic that they were 
     born female.

       Women are thus pushed farther and farther into poverty and 
     their only choice is to access the public health system in 
     Medicaid. With State dollars stretched thin and the federal 
     government considering further cuts to Medicaid women's 
     health will be further adversely disproportionately impacted. 
     The wealthy insurance companies who would be required to 
     cover women regardless of preexisting conditions at the same 
     cost will be off the hook and the taxpayers will have to 
     cover the cost of care through our tax dollars. If we the 
     taxpayers are already paying to care for the sick, why don't 
     we have a public option and use the leverage of large 
     numbers. There are 24 million people now covered by the ACA 
     today which can negotiate the cost of health care and 
     prescription drugs down to a more affordable cost. The 
     answers are there to bring the costs of health care down. 
     Will Congress have the courage to stand up for what is right 
     and seek solutions that are fair and equitable for the 
     American people? Do not repeal the Patient Protection and 
     Affordable Care Act. Make changes for the better such as 
     using the buying power of large numbers to reduce costs.''

     

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