Rich Neal: “I thank Judge Hastings for yielding. The previous question I offer with Congresswoman Slaughter would prevent any…”

“I thank Judge Hastings for yielding. The previous question I offer with Congresswoman Slaughter would prevent any legislation from being considered if the legislation would deny coverage or require higher premiums for preexisting conditions, increase costs for seniors for prescription drugs, or reduce Medicare solvency. I have listened to the previous three speakers on the Republican side talk about national defense. That is understandable, but might we, for the purpose of this discussion, also acknowledge the following: real national defense also means providing health security for members of American families. That is part of the balance that we should be recognizing. The priorities on the other side are the following: they are going to turn the issue of preexisting condition back to a voluntary nature at the State level. As one who comes from local government, we should recognize the following: every time there is an economic downturn, you can be certain that Governors are going to use the money that was intended for health care to balance the budgets, and they are going to call it good management. They are undermining the health security of the American people with their proposal on TrumpCare. {time} 1315 They have been threatening to eliminate coverage for millions of Americans for years, and now they are telling us they are on the eve of accomplishing just that. But what does it mean for the American family?…”