Important Issues Facing America

Floor Speech

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Mr. JOYCE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for his leadership and for holding this Special Order today.

Mr. Speaker, it was here in the U.S. Capitol, just a few hundred feet from where we are standing, that President Abraham Lincoln called on all of us ``to care for him who shall have borne the battle.''

Today, the House voted on legislation which will help us to carry on President Lincoln's promise. By passing the Protecting Health Care for All Patients Act, the House voted to ensure that any patient using a Federal health program can never be turned away on the basis of using the quality-adjusted life years formulas.

Known as QALYs, these formulas have been used to determine if patients should receive certain medical treatments. In essence, this is rationing of medical care.

As a doctor, I treated patients at the James E. Van Zandt VA Medical Center in Blair County, Pennsylvania. Eliminating the use of these formulas for all Federal programs will ensure that our veterans will be able to receive the care and the treatment that they need and that they deserve, continuing the promise of Abraham Lincoln.

Further, this legislation will help to protect Americans with disabilities and those with chronic diseases as well as children who receive their healthcare through Federal programs like CHIP.

Today, I was proud to vote in favor of this legislation that protects patients' access to the latest medical technologies and to the latest innovations.

Proudly, I can say that this legislation passed the House, and proudly I can say that we have voted to protect American patients.

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