On the recordJuly 25, 2017
I thank Mr. Garamendi for yielding. I was detained at another meeting, but I could not help but conclude our very important Special Order. And I do want to emphasize that we have a better deal. We have the opportunity to be able to stabilize the markets. We heard from Mr. Cohen today, who is from the great State of California, who says: The Affordable Care Act does work. Subsidies do work. And if we go the route of the Senate--the tragic vote today-- Americans will wind up paying more for premiums than their own income. So I join in saying we can fix and stabilize--fix the Affordable Care Act, stabilize the healthcare system, and ensure that 49 million people do not lose their insurance by 2026; or with the Senate bill, 32 million don't lose their insurance. So I simply conclude with this: I met with a family who has an autistic child--a young woman who wants to live on her own. She can't do that without the Affordable Care Act. I met with a young man by the name of Matthew, who spent $700,000 over a 2-year period because he has a chronic illness; $73,000 on his medication in the last 6 months. The American people need us to do for them what the government can do, and that is to ensure a healthcare system for all. That is what the Affordable Care Act's underlying premise is. That is what Democrats have as their message. Mr. Garamendi, I believe in saving lives. That is what I want to do with the Affordable Care Act.
