Affordable Care Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. WILSON of Florida. Thank you for sharing this hour with me, Representative Garamendi from California, my dear friend.

Mr. Speaker, who could be against making every American eligible for health care insurance? I can't even imagine. So I'm here today to help set the record straight about ObamaCare. I'm here to explain what ObamaCare means to the people in my community and the people around this Nation. And I'm here to explain the truth--the real truth--behind the health care reforms that are moving ahead on Tuesday, October 1, simply because Obama cares.

Mr. Speaker, this health reform is about making it easier and cheaper to get insurance if you don't have it. It's that simple.

Our President, Barack Obama, cares and is making health care easier to obtain. He cares and is making health care more affordable. President Barack Obama cares and is making health care more accessible.

Now, listen up: if you have Medicare, this does not apply to you. This has absolutely nothing to do with you. It will not affect your coverage. If you have Medicaid, this does not apply to you. If you have a job with health care coverage, this does not apply to you.

ObamaCare only applies if you do not currently have insurance. You will finally have the opportunity to gain protection for your body. You will finally find peace of mind. You no longer have to live in fear of being bankrupted by a health emergency. You no longer will have to let your health suffer by avoiding the doctor. You no longer will have to fear for your family going without care.

Mr. Speaker, there are very simple steps for getting started if you're insured. Because Obama cares, you can get started with these simple directions. If you have access to the Internet, you can get started right away.
Beginning Tuesday, October 1, Healthcare.gov will give you all the information you need to sign up for this program. Once you're there, go to the tab that says ``get insurance.''

Mr. Speaker, this will take you to a page that will explain all the insurance marketplaces available to you. You will be able to compare all the plans available to you in your area.

Mr. Speaker, the Internet is the best way to sign up; but if you're not comfortable using a computer, ask a friend, or ask a young relative to help you survey the choices. Young people know all about computers. If you need additional help, you can also call 1-800-318-2596. People are available around the clock to offer assistance in more than 150 languages--and in Miami, that is very important. They can help you enroll by mail if you prefer.

Mr. Speaker, Obama cares so much that there will also be expert advisers called ``navigators'' in your community. You can find them at community health centers, at the mall, in drugstores, and in many places of worship. In some States, traditional insurance agents and brokers will be able to help. But remember this: if someone tries to charge you money for advice on how to sign up, say ``no'' because it is a scam. No one should be charged for assistance in signing up.

Mr. Speaker, Americans should take their time in completing the important task of choosing the right health insurance plan. I know sometimes it can take 2 hours to choose the right pair of shoes at the mall or 2 hours at the kitchen table to choose the right cable TV plan.

Be patient. Take your time in choosing the right plan to protect your body and your life. You won't regret it.

Mr. Speaker, Obama cares because health reform is not only about making insurance simple, but also making it affordable. Let me just give you a couple of examples:

A self-employed person with a spouse and two children and a household income of $33,000 would more than likely not be able to afford insurance at all today, but starting Tuesday, October 1, this person would be able to get insurance for his entire family for an average of $94 per month because of a government subsidy;

A single mother with three children and a household income of $40,000 will now be able to insure herself and her children for an average of $163 per month through ObamaCare.

Mr. Speaker, it's affordable and it's essential to be covered. Young people under 26 will be able to stay on their parents' plans. For those young people without the opportunity to join their parents' plans, it's especially important for you to get insurance.

If you're young, you're statistically more likely to end up in a car crash or a motorcycle crash or to experiment with drugs or other risky behavior that lands you into trouble. You need insurance as much or more than anyone else. You have to pay to insure that car, you have to pay to insure that motorcycle, so make sure that you pay a very small portion of that first paycheck you earn to insure your precious body.

Mr. Speaker, no one said this would be easy. There will be challenges as the Federal Government implements the new insurance markets in 36 States in the weeks ahead. But progress is never easy. Nothing this important and ambitious is easy. There will be needed tweaking and needed corrections. But that was also the case in 1935 when we rolled out Social Security and in 1965 when we rolled out Medicare.

Mr. Speaker, we know that Obama cares because insurance companies can no longer deny 17 million children with preexisting conditions their health coverage. We know that Obama cares because 105 million Americans with life-threatening diseases like cancer no longer have to live in fear of maxing out on their lifetime dollar limits on their insurance coverage. We know that Obama cares because more than 3 million young people up to the age of 26 now have coverage because insurance companies can no longer remove them from their parents' plans.

Yes, Mr. Speaker, we are well on our way to a healthier, more financially secure Nation. We refuse, we utterly refuse, to allow anyone to damage, repeal, or turn back ObamaCare. It is the law of the land and it is here to stay. We will stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. We will speak out for those who cannot speak for themselves. We will do all this and more because President Barack Hussein Obama cares. He cares for the people of this Nation.

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