Rep. Hoyer Issues Statement on Eighth Anniversary of Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, March 22 -- House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Maryland, issued the following statement at press conference with House Democrats and health care advocates on the eighth anniversary of the Affordable Care Act:

"Thank you very much, Leader Pelosi. I have said many times that I believe the Affordable Care Act owes it passage, obviously to many, but to no one more than the Speaker of the House when it was passed, Nancy Pelosi, who worked tirelessly and effectively to pass a bill that would give millions and millions of people access to affordable, quality health care, including [Marta Connor's daughter] Caroline. I might say one of my closest friends was a young woman named Crissy, who went to my church, who had Rett Syndrome, so thank you for being here.

"Eight years ago today, the Affordable Care Act was signed into law with the goal of bringing health insurance access to millions and lowering health care costs. This year, twenty million more Americans have health insurance than in 2010; twenty million Americans. Eight-in-ten marketplace consumers were able to find a plan for $75 or less per month.

"Yet, since Republicans took complete control of the government last January, they spent most of the year trying to repeal the law. In fact, there were 65 votes to repeal the law, none of which succeeded. Thankfully, public pressure, the voice of the people, was heard, and they protected this law. Americans rallied behind the Affordable Care Act because it is working. Certainly there are things we need to do, working together, to bring greater stability to the insurance markets and make health care more affordable for working families.

"We knew it was not perfect when we passed it. We couldn't go to conference to perfect it because our colleagues in the United States Senate would not vote to go to conference and make it better, by the theory they could defeat it; if it was not made better. They were wrong, and we were wrong as well because we thought we would have the ability to come up in 2011, in the Majority, and fix that which was not working as well as we wanted it to work.

"Instead, Republican actions on health care in Congress and in the Trump Administration have only sown dangerous uncertainty that has destabilized the markets and increased health care costs for all.

"They allowed insurance companies to sell 'junk plans' that sound like they're insurance, then when you get sick you find out, oh, well, it doesn't cover that. Oh, it doesn't cover that either. Have you seen the insurance ads? What do they want us to do? Drive two-thirds of a car? It reminds me of those junk policies.

"They've allowed insurance companies to sell those junk plans and discriminate against those with pre-existing conditions, one more time. Americans overwhelmingly believe that you should not allow people who are ill not to get the insurance they absolutely need. They've undermined enrollment, and made it harder to sign up for coverage. They've cut off cost-sharing subsidies for low-income families. They've pursued legal challenges and used executive orders to weaken the law and discourage participation.

"These are real people. Now the little people, we tend to have immediate sympathy for, because we adore the little people, the children. But the people of 40, or 50, or 60 and have a catastrophic illness and do not have insurance--they have bankruptcy facing them, and we don't act.

"Eight years after its enactment, the law has proven its worth. Now it's up to Congress to embrace the gains made under this law and work together in a bipartisan fashion. There are not just sick Republicans or just sick Democrats or sick independents or sick people who don't get themselves involved at all in any kind of designation. They need to have access to affordable, quality health care.

"We Democrats will not allow Republicans to turn the clock back, but more importantly than that, we Democrats are prepared to work with our Republicans to make sure what the President said he was going to do, happens. What did he say he was going to do? President Trump, when he was running for office, said 'I want health care for everybody, insurance for everybody, with better quality and lower prices.'

"Madam Leader, you know what I tell the press? As soon as he sends that bill up to Congress, I'm going to vote for it. Insurance for everybody, that covers that which they will face at some point in time, they don't know what it is, better quality, lower cost.

"Now let me introduce somebody who will again, as Marta did, tell you how important the Affordable Care Act is to her. It's Elena Hung and she's going to bring with us Xiomara. Xiomara means 'ready for battle.' I have now spent all of about 15 minutes with Xiomara. Ladies and gentlemen, she is ready for battle."