Listening to Arkansas

Last week, my staff in Arkansas and Washington answered over 1,000 letters and over 500 calls from constituents wanting to voice their opinions on the American Health Care Act. I want to thank my staff for their work in making sure constituents voices are heard and you for reaching out with your thoughts. Listening to the American people is one of the most important aspects of representative government. I greatly value the feedback and ideas from our citizens across the seven counties of the Second Congressional District.

Last Friday's vote on health care that never happened was an unfortunate setback for those who want to repeal the failed Affordable Care Act (ACA) and replace it with legislation and regulatory changes that lower cost, expand choice, and put Americans, not the federal government, in control of their health care.

The fact remains that the ACA is failing, getting worse, driving up the cost of health care, and eliminating important health care coverage options for many hardworking Americans and families. The ACA has caused insurance markets to start to collapse, premiums and deductibles to soar, and patient choices to dwindle. In September 2016, we saw a 25 percent average increase in premiums on exchanges, and today, nearly one-third of U.S. counties have only one insurer offering exchange plans.

Speaker of the House Paul Ryan worked hard with his colleagues in Congress to craft a bill that would have repealed the most damaging aspects of the ACA, the individual and employer mandates. Importantly, the proposal also reforms Medicaid programs under the structure of a block grant, ensuring our most vulnerable in Arkansas and those for whom Medicaid is intended (children, individuals with disabilities, and lower-income mothers) could still get the care they need. It also would have fulfilled Governor Asa Hutchinson's request of moving Essential Health Benefits back to the control of the states. All of this while covering citizens with pre-existing conditions and allowing young people to remain under their family's coverage until age 26.

I remain committed to working with my colleagues to address the failures of our current health care system and find the fixes needed to lower costs and provide affordable care for all Americans. Big ideas require a lot of hard work. One of my congressional colleagues, Congressman Brian Mast of Florida, described the road ahead best when he told the Republican Conference not to be discouraged by any hiccups along the way, saying "I've just never been in a battle that we only had to fire one shot. I've never been in a battle with a perfect plan. And even being able to say that -- we won every single one of them, because of that unanimity, our ability to win together as a unit."

Brian Mast is an Army veteran who lost both of his legs in Afghanistan. He is an American hero, and he is the type of leader this country needs. I know that with those like Congressman Mast and Speaker Ryan leading our party in Congress, we have the will and determination to fulfill our promises to the American people.

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