Terri Sewell: “Thank you so much. I want to commend my colleagues from Illinois and New Jersey for having this wonderful CBC hour on…”

“Thank you so much. I want to commend my colleagues from Illinois and New Jersey for having this wonderful CBC hour on minority health and the disparities that exist. I want to talk for a minute about how we in Congress have tried to address these disparities. You know, our Nation celebrated the fifth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act in March. This anniversary marked the historic progress our Nation has made towards making health care not just a privilege, but a right for every American. The ACA has significantly affected the minority population by trying to close the gap on the disparity by giving access to affordable healthcare insurance for all Americans. Thanks to the ACA, health insurers can no longer deny coverage to individuals because of preexisting conditions, and women no longer have to pay higher premiums than men. Because of this law, millions of Americans can finally afford to go to the doctor, and families no longer risk losing their home savings and all that they have if a family member gets sick. For those who already had insurance, the ACA has meant new savings and new protections. This has even been true in my home State of Alabama, a State that did not choose to enact a healthcare exchange, a State that did not expand Medicaid. During the most recent enrollment period, more than 171,000 Alabamians enrolled in quality healthcare coverage at a price that they could afford.…”