On the recordFebruary 3, 2015
I thank my friend from Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, today, we will take our 56th vote to repeal or undermine the Affordable Care Act. In my home State of Kentucky--a nationwide success story of this law--521,000 Kentuckians enrolled in health coverage last year. That is more than a half a million people in a State with a population of just over 4 million. Seventy-five percent of those who signed up were previously uninsured. These are maps of before and after uninsured rates in our 120 counties. The orange and red represent uninsured rates of 14 percent to more than 20 percent. The dark blue is less than 5 percent. Today, after the Affordable Care Act, every single county has had a reduction in their uninsured rates. In some areas, uninsured rates have plummeted by more than 65 percent. As we watch these uninsured rates drop, as the counties on this map go from red to green or blue, that is another person getting the care or treatment they need, a family's future transformed, lives saved. This law is a success. The Affordable Care Act is working, and you need to look no further than the Commonwealth of Kentucky to see the proof. Repealing the Affordable Care Act at this stage would be an absolute death sentence to thousands of people in the Commonwealth of Kentucky and throughout the country. We cannot let this happen. I urge a vote against the rule and the underlying legislation.
