Repealing the Job-Killing Health Care Law Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. WELCH. I thank the gentleman.

Madam Speaker, about a year ago, I got a call from Donna, a mother who lives in Plainfield, Vermont, and this was her story:

She has a son who had his first job. It paid like 9 bucks an hour and it came with no health care, but they were excited that her son was getting out in the workforce, learning discipline, learning self-responsibility. But he lost the health care because he was no longer on her policy. He got into an accident. He's fine, but he has $20,000 in medical bills that were uncovered. That is a burden on him and it's a burden on the family. When she learned that we passed health care that included coverage for her 21-year-old son, she was ecstatic. It relieved an enormous burden on this family because they knew that their son would have coverage.

This repeal bill is taking away that coverage for Donna's son. Why?

The question that we have is different from the campaign where we made our arguments. We now are in Congress and we have a mutual responsibility to decide whether we are going to spend our time here continuing to make partisan political points or making practical progress for the American people.

You have some good arguments about the health care bill and about what reforms we need, and we've got to wrestle with the cost of health care. No matter how we pay for it, the cost can't go up higher than wages and salaries. But what we should do is improve what we have, correct what must be corrected, and get rid of what doesn't work. But to throw it all out, all these insurance reforms--health care for Donna's son, preexisting conditions, preventive care for seniors where by getting care in time it's going to save us money--that's the wrong thing to do.

When does it make sense to toss out the good rather than correct the bad?

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source