Defend Against Attempts to Overturn ACA Protections

Floor Speech

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Ms. UNDERWOOD. Madam Speaker, currently, 20 Republican-led States are suing to overturn the Affordable Care Act and the protections that it provides.

Rather than defend the law, the Trump administration is siding with these States and arguing the entire law should be overturned. This is an attack on every single American with a preexisting condition, including 300,000 people in Illinois' 14th Congressional District.

If the ACA is overturned, insurers will, once again, have the power to refuse coverage to people with preexisting conditions, like cancer, asthma, heart conditions, and diabetes.

This is a fear for many of my constituents, including Mike DeBow of Shorewood, Illinois, who was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at a young age. Mike wrote to me because he is ``deathly afraid''--his words--of losing his insurance.

Under the ACA, Mike doesn't have to worry about being denied coverage for his preexisting condition. He can even stay on his parents' plan until he turns 26. But if the Republicans' lawsuit succeeds, 130 million Americans with preexisting conditions, including Mike, won't have that peace of mind.

I am proud that my first vote in Congress was to protect the ACA by defending it in court so that Americans like Mike can focus on leading fulfilling lives, not whether their healthcare needs are covered.

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