[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 7]
[House]
[Page 9750]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                   THE BETTER CARE RECONCILIATION ACT

  (Mr. LANGEVIN asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to the 
latest plan to gut the Affordable Care Act.
  Senate Republicans, as has been reported, just unveiled their draft 
of their healthcare bill, the Better Care Reconciliation Act, which was 
developed entirely behind closed doors and will be rushed to a vote, 
from what I understand, without additional input or public debate.
  Mr. Speaker, make no mistake about it, this bill will not provide 
Americans access to better care and it will not create more affordable 
coverage.
  Changes to Medicaid will mean Americans in the expansion population 
will eventually lose access to crucial services and supports, and 
shrinking the program will force States to cut services to the poor, 
the sick, and the elderly.
  Like the House Republican version to repeal and replace the 
Affordable Care Act, the Senate's bill is an attack on the preservation 
of essential health benefits, and it will not ensure middle-income 
Americans can receive sufficient financial support to obtain coverage.
  The Senate Republican Better Care Reconciliation Act does not deviate 
from the damage of the core policies found in the Republican House 
version of the American Health Care Act, and I just hope my Republican 
colleagues have a chance to realize this before they take a vote on a 
bill that will only undermine health coverage for the American people.

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