The Affordable Care Act

Floor Speech

Mr. CARSON of Indiana. Mr. Speaker, this week the House is voting to repeal the Affordable Care Act for the 37th time.

In every congressional district, there are seniors, new mothers, young children, low-income families, and young adults just starting out on their own. Do my good Republican friends really want to take away their chance for better health?

I would never do that to my constituents, which is why I'm here today, Mr. Speaker, to say again, I am proud of my vote for the Affordable Care Act.

Recently, I had a chance to spend some time with some Hoosiers across my district, and I heard again and again their worry about rising health care costs and their family's ability to access care. Fortunately, millions of Americans no longer have to worry about accessing care because of the Affordable Care Act. Instead, more than half a million Medicare beneficiaries in Indiana alone received free preventive services in 2012, avoiding more costly illnesses. More than 17 million children with preexisting conditions nationwide are no longer being denied insurance coverage. More than 100 million Americans no longer face lifetime limits on coverage.

Mr. Speaker, over 360,000 small businesses have already used tax credits to help insure 2 million workers. By the end of this year, health exchanges will be set up making it easier for people who don't have insurance to choose the coverage that best suits their needs. Next year, we will happily welcome even more consumer protections. Insurance companies will no longer be able to place lifetime limits on coverage. Discrimination against preexisting conditions will be banned for all Americans.

This means that when a woman notices a lump under her arm, there is no reason for her to wait until she finds a job to schedule an appointment. And she doesn't have to wait to get sicker, costing more of her time off from work and away from her family. Under the Affordable Care Act, Mr. Speaker, she knows she can obtain potentially lifesaving care right away. The same goes for her spouse, her parents, and her children. Our health care system benefits us by allowing us to make investments in lower-cost treatments and prevention now rather than expensive therapies later.

Of course, I know that times are tough right now and we have to be even more careful about the mandates we put on businesses. But my good Republican colleagues seem to forget that people have to be healthy to contribute to our economic growth. As a Representative of many hardworking families, Mr. Speaker, I have stood here time and time again over the past few years to extend a hand to anyone who wants to work with me and us to provide quality health care for all Americans.

Today, I make that very same offer. I will work gladly with anyone who wants to improve our health care system and ensure that all Americans have access to quality and affordable health care.

I call on my Republican colleagues to work with us to implement the Affordable Care Act and start improving it. It's time we all stand together, Mr. Speaker, and start looking out for the health of this great Nation. Without it, we have nothing.

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