Suspending the Individual Mandate Penalty Law Equals Fairness Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. DANNY K. DAVIS of Illinois. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong opposition to H.R. 4118, the 50th vote to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which, if passed and implemented, would increase premiums, decrease coverage, and increase the number of people who are not insured by as much as 11 million people in this country. It is unbelievable that we would be on the floor voting for the 50th time to try and turn back the clock on millions of Americans who have been denied health insurance coverage because of a preexisting condition, didn't have enough money, or did not have accessibility to facilities.

In Illinois, over 256,000 individuals benefit from the Affordable Care Act. Nationally, more than 4 million Americans have enrolled in private plans, with 82 percent receiving premium tax credits to make health insurance more affordable. More than 3.1 million young adults have access to health insurance by remaining on their parents' plans until age 26. Millions more Americans have secured new coverage through Medicaid expansion.

Rather than decreasing or taking away, the Republican leadership and all of us ought to be increasing and providing. We ought to be affording individuals the opportunity to get insurance because they are unemployed--to get a check. So it is amazing that rather than giving, we would be talking about taking, taking away, when the law says and all of us know that everybody ought to have access to quality health care.

I oppose this legislation.

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