Providing for Consideration of H.R. Breaking the Gridlock Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. TOKUDA. Mr. Speaker, imagine being a farmer choosing between insurance and seed, a small business owner weighing a doctor's visit against payroll, families hoping nothing goes wrong because they are one ER visit away from being homeless. This is the reality for rural America today.

The big, ugly bill took a sledgehammer to rural healthcare, and letting the ACA enhanced premium tax credits expire will accelerate the damage and hasten the harm.

In rural America, places like Hawaii, insurance coverage is the business model that keeps hospitals, clinics, and emergency rooms open. When premiums rise, coverage drops, revenue disappears, and hospital doors close. Without those credits, rural Americans will see their monthly healthcare costs rise by 107 percent. A single premium hike will make the difference between whether a family eats, pays their rent, or sees a doctor.

Mr. Speaker, 2.8 million rural Americans will lose coverage. For them, this is not politics. This is life or death.

Healthcare should never depend on your ZIP Code. This clean extension of the ACA tax credits will save lives.

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