Diana DeGette

We need to make sure that all women have the kind of coverage they need.

So I think it starts at the highest level of a policy environment and an environment that respects and cares for and prioritizes women and women's health and women and babies.

H.R. 1318 is a tremendous step forward in showing that we do recognize, yes, black mamas matter.

We as a country--I got to testify at the U.N. about this very issue--the world is watching us.

I have been working with my co-sponsor, Representative Herrera Beutler, to try to get this bill passed by the end of the year.

I think the first thing we can do is pass this bill.

What women, especially black women, in the United States need is accountability.

The world is watching us. The world sees us.

Lack of action is unintentionally killing us. It is a human rights imperative.

Pregnancy-related death is nearly four times higher among African American women.

Maternal mortality rose in the United States between 2000 and 2014 by 26 percent.

Congress has a duty to act and reverse this terrible trend.

In America in the 21st century, no woman should ever die of complications related to pregnancy and childbirth.

My legislation would guarantee that the Federal Government covers a hundred percent of expansion costs for the first 3 years for states that have not yet expanded.

The biggest barrier to women of childbearing age receiving healthcare coverage is continuing refusal of 19 states, including my home State of Texas, to expand Medicaid.

What you can legislate is rules around training on implicit bias.

We don't value women. We don't have paid leave.

I see this firsthand, and believe you me, we couldn't see the front range for most of August in Denver because of the smoke.

Moving to value-based care is important. But we can't lose sight of the importance of the Stark Law in protecting the Medicare program from waste, fraud, and abuse.

Fully one-third of Medicare residents in a skilled nursing home experienced harm from the care that they received and half of those cases were actually preventable.

We can enforce that 2016 rule that people don't have to be forced to sign arbitration agreements.

My view and I think Congresswoman Schakowsky would really agree with me about this as one of the most effective ways to address if we see rampant nursing home abuses is when patients can bring class actions against some of these bad actors.

And as I said in my opening statement, since the rules have been finalized CMS has taken several actions that could delay some of them or roll them back altogether.

I know, Dr. Goodrich, that CMS is now in the process of implementing those regulations.

We know there are ongoing efforts to disrupt our democracy.