Ami Bera: “Today I rise to urge all of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, to oppose this bill that repeals the Affordable…”

“Today I rise to urge all of my colleagues, Democrats and Republicans, to oppose this bill that repeals the Affordable Care Act, and here is why. I stand here not as a Member of Congress, but as a doctor. When I took the oath to enter medicine, like thousands of other doctors, there are really three basic ethics in there: Benevolence: to do good. Mr. Speaker, this bill does not do anything good. It makes it harder for people to get health care. The second ethic was non-malfeasance: to do no harm. Mr. Speaker, this bill is going to harm millions of Americans. It is going to pull healthcare coverage away from folks. In fact, I have heard from folks who have come to my townhalls and have talked about how the Affordable Care Act has saved their lives. If you pull health care away from them, people are going to get sicker, and some people may potentially die. And the third ethic is patient autonomy: the ability of patients to make the choices that impact their lives. Mr. Speaker, this bill does not empower patients to make their own choices. This bill limits those choices. It takes choice away from them. This is a bad bill that goes against everything that we in the medical profession swear to when we enter the profession. That is why you see doctors standing up and opposing this bill, hospitals opposing this bill, and health plans opposing this bill. That is why, when patients see what is in this bill, you will see American patients pushing back.…”