Rob Andrews: “I think we should begin by thanking Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi for leading us through such a civil debate at such…”

“I think we should begin by thanking Speaker Boehner and Leader Pelosi for leading us through such a civil debate at such an important hour of our country's history; a moment of consequence. Unfortunately, one of the consequences of this debate is that we did not debate the issue that is most on the minds of the American people, which is unemployment and 15 million of our neighbors being unemployed. Having said that, there are lots of consequences to this repeal bill, and Members should be aware of each one of them. If a woman with breast cancer or a man with diabetes loses his or her job and tries to get another job, under the law that is in effect, the insurance company can't deny them coverage or charge them more for it because of their preexisting condition. This bill repeals that protection. It makes it legal for the insurance company to say, We're sorry, we are not going to sell you health insurance because you have breast cancer. We're sorry, we are going to raise your premiums fivefold because you have diabetes. These are serious, unwelcomed consequences.”