Date: 2015-10-23
Speaker: JACKSON LEE (democrat)
Chamber: H

Closing the clinics would cut into the very essence of service to vulnerable women. It would cut into their mammogram services. their cervical cancer examinations. The Supreme Court just a year or a couple of months ago said this kind of pointed. targeted attack was unconstitutional. This bill just adds to it. Whether or not you add other clinics. the clinics in Texas. Planned Parenthood. have been there for years for the minorities. for young people. and others. Mr. Speaker. this is not a reconciliation bill. This is another attack bill. We need to be able to stand for our women and womens health care. Vote against this bill. Mr. Speaker. I rise to speak in opposition of H.R. 3762. the Restoring Americans Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act. because this bill does not restore healthcare Freedom. This bill is not a serious effort to address this nations budgetary needs and its details reveal that it is another opportunity for the majority to hide behind a legislative gimmick in an attempt to kill the Affordable Care Act. This is a waste of taxpayer money and this bodys legislative calendar. which has too few days left for wasting any of our lime voting on bills that the President has communicated in writing that he will veto. This bill is bad for the Affordable Care Act because it: continues the majoritys relentless crusade to put barriers between women and their right to have the healthcare provider and services that they want and need. repeals individual responsibility requirements that people must have their own health insurance. repeals the Independent Payment Advisory Board. which works to keep Medicare solvent. and repeals the Prevention and Public Health Fund. which supports evidencebased programs designed to keep Americans healthy. prevent chronic and infectious diseases and reduce future healthcare cost. The news from across the nation regarding the healthcare freedom and choice created by the Affordable Care Act for first time health insurance consumers is overwhelmingly positive. Unfortunately. today the majority has targeted a womens right to control her own healthcare by attempting to defund Planned Parenthood. In my state of Texas. a law that would have cut off access to 75 percent of reproductive healthcare clinics in the state was challenged before the U.S. Supreme Court in 2014 and On October 2. 2014. the Supreme Court made unconstitutional a Texas law that required that all reproductive healthcare clinics that provided the full range of services would be required to have a hospitalstyle surgery center building and staffing requirements. This requirement meant only 7 clinics would be allowed to continue to provide a full spectrum of reproductive healthcare to women. In 2015. the State of Texas once again threatened womens access to reproductive health care when it attempted to shutter all but 10 healthcare providers in the state of Texas. The Supreme Court once again intervened on the behalf of Texas women to block the move to close clinics in my state. New attacks on women are now being couched with renewed attacks against the Affordable Care Act. which the majority has attempted to overturn with over 50 votes since its enactment. The attacks against Planned Parenthood is a social and econo statement that if you are a woman with money you have the right to think for yourself regarding your healthcare choices. but if you are poor or lack healthcare options you do not have that same right. Millions of women now have free coverage for comprehensive womens preventive medical services. and they rely upon Planned Parenthood for healthcare. The reality is women who face difficult health care decisions do not do so lightly. Women in this nation have a right to selfdetermination. It is a fundamental human right and one that should be cherished. The most important right is the ability of each person to determine their destiny and this right has to be freely exercised. Healthcare has become a fundamental right for our nations citizens with the best possible outcomes for the millions of people who had no healthcare due to preexisting illnesses or were penalized with higher premiums for preexisting conditions. A documentary produced by the Harvard School of Public Health reported that between 2007 and 2010. overall deaths among Massachusetts residents between the age of 20 to 64 declined by 2.9%. The decline in deaths was 4.5% for persons with illnesses that could be successfully treated though healthcare intervention such as those who have: tuberculosis. cancer. cardiac disease. Leukemia. Diabetes. Epilepsy. High blood pressure. All respiratory illnesses. and Pregnancy and childbirth. Because of the Affordable Healthcare Act: 100 million Americans no longer have a lifetime limit on healthcare coverage. 17 million children with preexisting conditions can no longer be denied coverage by insurers. 6.6 million youngadults up to age 26 can stay on their parents health insurance plans. 6.3 million Seniors in the "donut hole" have saved $6.1 billion on their prescription drugs. 3.2 million Seniors have access to free annual wellness visits under Medicare. and 360.000 Small Businesses are using the Health Care Tax Credit to help them provide health insurance to their workers. Statistics on Texas and the Affordable Care Act reveal that: 3.8 million Texas residents receive preventative care services. 7 million Texans no longer have lifetime limits on their healthcare insurance. 300.731 young adults can remain on their parents health insurance until age 26. 5 million Texas residents can receive a rebate check from their insurance company if it does not spend 80 percent of premium dollars on healthcare. 4.029 people with preexisting conditions now have health insurance. This year for the first time insurance companies are banned from: discriminating against anyone with a preexisting condition. charging higher rates based on gender or health status. enforcing lifetime dollar limits. and enforcing annualdollar limits on health benefits. Few people knew that health insurers viewed pregnancy as a preexisting condition. Because of the Affordable Care Act women can no longer be charge higher rate just because they are women. Attempts to weaken or end the ACA are wrong. A January 2015. Gallup poll revealed that nationally the uninsured rate in the United States was reduced to 12.9%. The uninsured rate nationally dropped 4.2% points since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act. We are becoming a nation of equals when it comes to access to affordable healthcare insurance. I ask my colleagues to join me in defeating another effort to turn the clock back on womens rights and the healthcare safetynet that is assuring longer and healthier lives for millions of Americans.