[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6358-6359]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




       PASS A HEALTHCARE BILL THAT WORKS FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE

  (Ms. GABBARD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, I recently wrapped up a townhall tour 
across my district in Hawaii, visiting every single island. A common 
theme that I heard from folks was one of concern and questions about 
this Republican healthcare bill that we may be voting on later this 
week.
  They are worried about their aging parents not being able to pay for 
their premiums and prescriptions and that newly added provisions that 
threaten those with preexisting conditions with skyrocketing costs will 
have such a devastating impact.
  Every time we hear about the new versions and new changes to this 
bill, it gets worse than the one before. Among a host of new problems, 
the latest version strips away protections on healthcare benefits like 
maternity care, substance abuse, mental health services, while also 
expanding an already-crippling age tax against our seniors, against our 
kupuna.
  No matter how you package it, this bill is a handout to insurance and 
pharmaceutical corporations while breaking the bank for those most in 
need of care. I urge my colleagues to stand in strong opposition to 
this bill and, instead, pass a healthcare bill that works for the 
American people.

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