Restoring Americans' Healthcare Freedom Reconciliation Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Ms. DeGETTE. Mr. Speaker, the House Republican leadership has a funny way of wishing the working families of America Happy New Year. Under this bill, the first substantive legislation of 2016, women and their families will be hit with a one-two punch to their access to health care.

First, with the latest attempt to repeal the ACA, House Republicans would remove the tax credits that help millions of Americans afford quality health insurance. When families lose that insurance, women would also lose their free annual wellness exams they get from their providers under the ACA.

Just to pile on, at the same time millions of women would lose their free wellness exams, this bill would inhibit their ability to get affordable well-woman and family-planning services from Planned Parenthood. More than 3 million American women and men get essential health care from Planned Parenthood every year, and even more would need to if the ACA were repealed.

In many parts of the country, Planned Parenthood is the only provider that offers access to reproductive health services within hundreds of miles. There are no health clinics that would take over that gap. Eliminating Federal funding to the organization would limit women's access to cancer screenings, breast exams, and so much more, and all because of an unfounded vendetta against Planned Parenthood.

Happy New Year, women and families of America.

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