Democrats Mark Second Anniversary of Affordable Care Act, Op

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Democrats Mark Second Anniversary of Affordable Care Act, Oppose Republican Budget That Ends Medicare Guarantee, Hurts Economic Recovery



MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP
Two years ago today, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Obama and since then millions of Americans have seen the positive impacts of health care reform. Seventeen million children with pre-existing conditions can no longer be discriminated against by insurance companies. Two and a half million young adults have accessed care through their parents’ private insurance plans. Lifetime limits on over 105 million Americans with private insurance have been eliminated. Over 360,000 small businesses have taken advantage of tax credits, making it more affordable to provide insurance to over 2 million workers. And 5.1 million seniors in the ‘donut hole’ have already received 50% discounts on their brand name drugs. While Democrats want to preserve and expand upon this law, Republicans continue their efforts to roll back these protections and put insurance companies back in control of health care. In fact, just this week, House Republicans wasted time by attempting to repeal a provision of the Affordable Care Act instead of bringing a jobs bill to the Floor. Americans want to see Congress work together to create jobs, not partisan gimmicks.
This week, I was disappointed that House Republicans released a budget that is a repeat of the budget they voted on last year. It ends the Medicare guarantee while protecting tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans, and puts our economy and jobs at risk by slashing investments in education, innovation, and infrastructure. While Democrats support restoring fiscal responsibility and bringing down our deficit, the Republican budget makes the wrong choices and places the burden of deficit reduction on seniors, the middle class, working families, and the most vulnerable.
I was also disappointed that House Republicans did not bring a single jobs bill to the Floor this week and refused to take up a bipartisan transportation bill passed by the Senate. Unlike House Republicans’ partisan highway bill that destroys 550,000 jobs and fails to meet our nation’s infrastructure needs, the Senate bill is a good compromise and received strong bipartisan support. I continue to urge House GOP leadership to bring the bill to the Floor for a vote so that we can give businesses certainty and keep workers on the job.
Sincerely yours,



STENY H. HOYER