E-Newsletter: Making Health Care Work

Statement

Dear Friend,

This week, I joined several colleagues to introduce H.R. 4574, the Strengthening Mental Health in Our Communities Act of 2014. This legislation renews our commitment to improving the lives of individuals and families impacted by mental illness, and it makes comprehensive improvements to our mental health system. Our legislation increases support for community-based services, expands research, and advances innovative treatments into mental health. This effort marks an important opportunity to advance the conversation on mental health, and I am proud to work to strengthen this system.

The Affordable Care Act is working

House Republicans' latest attack on the Affordable Care Act (ACA) came up short this week. On Wednesday, the Energy and Commerce's Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations -- on which I serve as Ranking Member -- heard directly from the nation's largest health insurance companies on the status of the ACA.

House Republicans intended to highlight their deliberately misleading questionnaire to insurance companies to make it appear that people who have signed up for health insurance are not paying their premiums. In my opening statement, I debunked their analysis and made it clear why it skewed the ACA's performance -- which is stronger than people have been lead to believe.

Despite these political attacks, the Affordable Care Act is working and making a real difference for people in Colorado and across the country. A recent poll conducted by Gallup shows that in the last six months, the number of adults without insurance has dropped by about 20%. Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, there are more than 11 million Americans and nearly 130,000 Coloradoans with insurance today than 6 months ago. The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has once again said that the Affordable Care Act has slowed inflation, saved billions of dollars, and even reduces the deficit.

It is my belief that we should have a meaningful conversation about how this law is functioning -- and then work together to identify and fix the flaws. That will make a real difference in people's lives in Colorado and across the nation.

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