Date: 2010-03-21
Speaker: GENE GREEN (democrat)
Chamber: H
State: Texas

Mr. Speaker. I rise in support of H.R. 3590 and also H.R. 4872. Mr. Speaker. I rise in strong support of H.R. 3590. the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and H.R. 4872. the Reconciliation Act of 2010. We are in desperate need of health care reform in the 29th District in Texas. We have one of the highest number of uninsured individuals in our country where nearly 43 percent of the residents are uninsured. If enacted. H.R. 3590 and H.R. 4872 would provide insurance coverage to 95 percent of all Americans and for 223.500 currently uninsured residents in the 29th district. It will also improve the employer based coverage for 217.000 residents in my district. Also. approximately 177.000 families and 14.600 small businesses will receive tax credits and other assistance to help them afford health insurance coverage under these bills. The legislation before us today will give all individuals the ability to access quality affordable health insurance. and approximately 34.500 residents in our district will no longer be denied coverage for preexisting conditions and their coverage cannot be capped or dropped when they get sick. The legislation before us today also ensures no more copays for preventive care. no more yearly caps on what the insurance company will cover. and provides premium subsidies for those who need them. We will also improve Medicare benefits for 56.000 seniors in our district by closing the Part D donut hole over time and immediately provide seniors who are in the donut hole with a $250 credit in 2010. The legislation also improves seniors benefits under Medicare by providing free preventive and wellness care. improving primary and coordinated care. and enhancing nursing home care. The bill also strengthens the Medicare Trust Fund. extending its solvency from 2017 to 2026. H.R. 3590 and H.R. 4872 will rein in rising health costs for American families and small businessesintroducing competition that will drive premiums down. capping outofpocket spending. According to the Congressional Budget Office. CBO. this legislation is fully paid for by eliminating waste. fraud. abuse. and excessive profits for private insurers. Nationwide. these health reform bills will reduce the deficit by over $130 billion over the next 10 years and by about $1.2 trillion over the second decade. Texas will also benefit from the legislation before us today. The Texas Department of Health and Human Services. TDHHS. released estimates that H.R. 3590 and H.R. 4872 will cost the State $24 billion over the next 10 yearsthis is inaccurate. These estimates are incorrect because they do not include the federal expansion and 100 percent contribution of Medicaid payments until 2018. Right now Texas accounts for 7 percent of Medicaid spending nationally. If those levels stay the same after the Statebased exchanges are set up. the cost to the State of Texas would be $1.4 billion and not $24 billion. Additionally. the bill will reduce the expenses related to uncompensated care in our State by $15 million annually. Currently. there are 5.9 million uninsured individuals in Texas. Under H.R. 3590 and H.R. 4872 nearly all of those individuals will have health insurance and most of it will be funded at federal expensenot at the expense of Texas. In fact. given the size of the State it is entirely possible that Texas will receive the largest amount of federal investment of any other State and create many new jobs in the health care sector. The time for health reform has come. Health insurance premiums are growing three times faster than wages and last year. more than half of Americans postponed medical care or skipped their medications because they couldnt afford it. I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of the legislation today not only for my constituents. but for all Americans.