Affordable Care Act

Floor Speech

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Ms. MICHELLE LUJAN GRISHAM of New Mexico. Thank you very much, Congressman Joaquin Castro.

Muchas gracias, al congresista Joaquin Castro.

Thank you so much for calling us together to talk about this critically important issue for our families.

Twenty years ago, when I was running the New Mexico Department on Aging, I remember an incredibly tragic call from a family of a 60-year-old woman who had fallen and broken her hip. She was in a hospital in Albuquerque.

Now, of course, hospitals are required to provide stabilizing emergency treatment and even surgery if that is required in that instance; but unfortunately, this 60-year-old woman didn't have insurance, and she was rolled out of the hospital in a wheelchair without the required surgery for her hip fracture.

If the Affordable Care Act was in place when this happened, this 60-year-old woman could have simply provided her health insurance card to someone at the hospital, and the hospital would have stabilized her hip, performed the surgery, and then provided follow-up rehabilitation care. This would allow this woman to walk again.

The required stabilization is critical for successful recovery of that particular hip injury, and the long-term consequences of not receiving the care, in addition to the pain and suffering of this woman, are significant. Quite frankly, she would never have walked again without that surgery.

Now, thankfully, in her case, the whole community came together to gather enough money to pay for her treatment; but if this were to happen today, she could have already purchased subsidized insurance in the health insurance marketplace or qualified for Medicaid, and she would have been able to receive treatment without the scare and the subsequent fundraising by her family in that instance.

People across the country face situations like this every single day. That is why it is critical that we tell our friends and neighbors that they only have 5 days left to enroll in health insurance through the marketplace--5 days. There is absolutely no time to waste.

Like many of my colleagues, I have been working with groups in my district and have been participating in enrollment events to help provide information and to assist New Mexicans to enroll.

Two of my constituents, Mark and Elizabeth Horst from Albuquerque, signed up for bronze plans through the exchange last fall. They make $24,000 a year between them and have qualified for $612 in subsidies, which covers the cost of the bronze plan.

Thousands more New Mexicans are still eligible. New Mexico had the third highest uninsured of any State before the Affordable Care Act went into effect this year. In the Hispanic community, more than 25 percent are uninsured, and more than that are underinsured.

Today, more than 360,000 in New Mexico are still eligible for enrollment. By enrolling in a plan, you don't have to risk injury or a lifetime of debt. You can get your family covered; and, by having access to primary care, your family can stay healthier longer.

I appreciate my colleague's effort today. I thank you very much.

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