On the recordJanuary 6, 2016
I thank the chairman for his leadership. Mr. Speaker, today is a good day for America because we will finally send this bill to the President's desk. The ``Unaffordable Care Act'' is bad for the American people because it is contributing to the bankruptcy of our country while doing little to provide Americans with better health care. Mr. Speaker, I have constituents who used to have health insurance but who no longer do because their premiums are too high. Now they have no insurance, and the only thing to show for it is a fine from the IRS. Medicaid expansion is a blueprint for single-payer, government-run health care. As an engineer, I can assure you that, if you start with a bad blueprint, you will get bad results. Instead of expanding Medicaid for able-bodied, working-age adults, the administration should work with us to fix the broken traditional Medicaid program, which is intended for those who most need it: the elderly, the disabled, and children. In 2014, there were 38.2 million nondisabled Americans between the ages of 18 and 64 who were not working at all. More than they need Medicaid expansion, they need progrowth economic policies that will foster good jobs so they can simply work and provide for themselves and their families.
