On the recordFebruary 18, 2011
I thank the gentlelady. Mr. Chairman, I rise in opposition to King amendment No. 266. It has been said that we are the sum total of our experiences, Mr. Chairman, and that is certainly true. My experience consists of growing up in a low-income minority community whose history dates back more than 150 years since slavery. I represent that district, the First District of North Carolina, the fourth poorest district in the country. My constituents, Mr. Chairman, overwhelmingly support the Affordable Care Act. Why? My constituents know that their insurance costs are soaring, exceeding more than 18 percent per year in increased costs. For those constituents who don't have insurance, they know that they will be able to qualify for Medicaid if their income is less than 133 percent of the Federal poverty line. My rural hospitals, Mr. Chairman, know that finally when patients walk into their emergency rooms, the hospitals will be paid for their care, and they will not continue to face bankruptcy. Mr. Chairman, this assault on the Affordable Care Act is unfounded, it's unnecessary; and I ask my colleagues to defeat this amendment.
