[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9557]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                REPUBLICAN HEALTHCARE BILL IS A DISASTER

  (Mr. POLIS asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. POLIS. Mr. Speaker, we hear the Senate is finally releasing a 
bill, a bill that would, sadly, take away healthcare from millions of 
Americans. Apparently, this bill will go straight to the Senate floor 
without a hearing, without a markup, without the opportunity for any 
public input.
  This Republican healthcare bill is a disaster. It removes guarantees 
of coverage that the Affordable Care Act created, allowing States to 
determine health insurance options and discriminate against people with 
preexisting conditions.
  Under the Republican plan to replace the Affordable Care Act, 
Colorado, alone, will lose billions of dollars of funding. Coloradans 
will no longer be covered by Medicaid, leaving many more people 
uninsured and a further burden on the rest of us, driving up our rates 
because we have to cover the uninsured. Even Colorado schools would be 
affected because many schools serve as Medicaid providers to students 
with disabilities, and they would lose that funding.
  While the Affordable Care Act isn't perfect, I strongly oppose this 
Republican plan to take away insurance coverage and raise rates for 
Coloradans. Not only is the bill disastrous, the secretive process 
undermines the institution of Congress and the American people that 
have elected every Member of this body.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on my colleagues to oppose the repeal of the 
Affordable Care Act.

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