Adopting the Rules of the House of Representatives for the 116th Congress

Floor Speech

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Mr. SCOTT of Virginia. Madam Speaker, I thank the gentlewoman from Florida for her distinguished service as the Secretary of Health and Human Services, and I thank her for yielding.

Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution. Legal scholars from across the ideological spectrum agree that this latest challenge to the Affordable Care Act is legally frivolous. However, because of the devastating impact that it will have on Americans, it is critical that we use our authority to intervene on their behalf.

If Republicans successfully dismantle the Affordable Care Act, the consequences will be felt by all Americans, including the millions of people with employer-sponsored coverage. They will lose protections for patients with preexisting conditions; they will lose prohibitions on annual and lifetime coverage limits; they will lose access to low- or no-cost preventive care; and they will lose the popular provision which allows young people to stay on their parents' insurance policies up to the age of 26.

These protections are all a product of the Affordable Care Act, and they are all at risk. We can't take the chance on this lawsuit being successful and then wait for a replacement, because we already know what the replacement will be. The House-passed replacement for the Affordable Care Act from a few years ago would have resulted in millions of fewer people with insurance and according to CBO, the costs would go up 20 percent the first year, insurance would cover less than it covers now; and those with preexisting conditions would lose their protections. That is what would happen if this lawsuit is successful.

This vote is about fulfilling our responsibility to act in the best interests of the American people. I encourage my colleagues to support the resolution.

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