On the recordMarch 24, 2017
Mr. Speaker, it has been hard keeping up with all the changes over the last 24 hours. This process has been far from transparent. The CBO released a revised score last night that said that the changes made to appease the Freedom Caucus will cost about $200 billion more without doing or adding anything to increase coverage. So how is that possible? The latest edition to this healthcare disaster, the elimination of minimum essential benefits, is something that I want to focus on very briefly. This change hits women especially hard. Insurance companies will no longer have to cover maternity care, provide direct access to an OB/ GYN, or cover preventative services like cancer screening or birth control. Mr. Speaker, do we call this a mommy tax? Is this a mommy tax to finance a millionaire tax cut? I don't know. Earlier this week, I gave my colleagues the opportunity to demonstrate their commitment to women's health in a related bill, and, Mr. Speaker, they didn't even allow a vote. I hear my colleagues claiming that these changes are about choice. Forcing women to pay more for the care they need is a choice I think we could do without. Mr. Speaker, I urge opposition to this healthcare disaster.





