Preexisting Conditions

Floor Speech

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Ms. KAPTUR. Mr. Speaker, I rise to condemn the efforts by the Trump administration and this Republican Congress to strip health insurance coverage from millions of Americans.

Before the Affordable Care Act, greedy insurance companies locked out people with preexisting conditions like it was nothing.

A Federal court is hearing a case, Texas v. United States, which could dismantle several key health protections, one of which is protections for individuals with preexisting conditions.

Trump's Justice Department refuses to defend existing law, which is unprecedented, and shirks its responsibility to defend the laws Congress has passed. This could hurt millions of people.

In the United States, there are 130 million people with preexisting conditions. In Ohio alone, 42 percent of the population has preexisting conditions. In a recent poll, 75 percent of the public, regardless of party affiliation, said protections for people with preexisting conditions are very important.

This is what the American people want and need. As a Congress, we are charged to represent the interests of the people; to be for the people, not the big insurance companies, not the big pharmaceutical companies that would profit even more from a lopsided healthcare system.

Every American life matters. Every single one of them.

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