Affordable Care Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. SCHRIER. Mr. Speaker, I am honored to deliver my first floor speech today speaking about an issue that is deeply personal to me, to the patients that I care for as a pediatrician, and to thousands of my constituents in Washington's Eighth District.

As you know, the lawful nature of the Affordable Care Act has been challenged, and if the decision stands, 17 million Americans will lose their health insurance. This includes many of my patients, children, and people with preexisting conditions.

Having seen families struggle to pay ever higher insurance premiums and deductibles every year, I understand that we need improvements in our system. The answer is to shore up the ACA, not dismantle it. And as the lone woman doctor in Congress and as a patient with type 1 diabetes, I look forward to leading that conversation.

The first step is to preserve the protections that we have now, and that is why I am so pleased that the House will take steps to intervene in this court case.

Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to consider the fates of their constituents who might not have access to medical care without the Affordable Care Act and to support this intervention. Millions of Americans and thousands in my district are counting on us.

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