Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015

Floor Speech

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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to support H.R. 2, the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act.

As this legislation was under negotiation, several of our colleagues tried to add unnecessary language that would have expanded the Hyde amendment to embed this harmful policy into the Affordable Care Act and the Public Health Services Act. Thanks to the commitment of leaders for women's health care rights, we secured important changes to this language. Current appropriation policies concerning the use of funds at community health centers will not change, and when the funding in this bill for community health centers, the National Health Service Corps, and teaching health centers expires, so will the funding restrictions. Also, this language is freestanding, and it does not amend the Affordable Care Act or the Public Health Services Act.

Let me be clear. I oppose the Hyde amendment. It is backwards policy because it denies full reproductive coverage to poor women who need it the most of everybody in this society; but this bill does not restrict their access any further than current law, and the Pro-Choice Caucus will continue to fight for health parity in this country for all women.

In the meantime, we have a bill here that has real advances in finally fixing the physician reimbursement, extending the important Children's Health program, extending the special diabetes fund that helps so many Americans, and gives $7 billion to extend the important community health centers for the next 2 years.

Mr. Speaker, I am proud of the work we did in a bipartisan way. I want to thank the majority, and I want to thank my colleagues on my side of the aisle for working together and only showing, as the Speaker just said, what we can do when we really do the job that Congress is supposed to do. I urge support of this legislation.

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