Rep. Pelosi Issues Remarks at Press Conference on Impact of Dismantling ACA on Seniors

WASHINGTON, Jan. 13 -- House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., issued the following remarks at a press conference on impact of dismantling the Affordable Care Act on seniors:

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Co-Chairs of the Seniors Task Force, Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky and Congresswoman Doris Matsui to discuss how Republicans' plans to dismantle the Affordable Care Act will harm seniors. Below are the Leader's remarks, followed by the question and answer session:

Leader Pelosi's Opening Remarks:

"Thank you very much, John, for your kind introduction, but importantly, for sharing your story with us, which is the story of so many people in our country. I want to thank Jan Schakowsky and Doris Matsui, the Co-Chairs of the Seniors Task Force, [not only] for bringing us together today, but for years of relentless, persistent leadership on their part, on behalf of America's seniors.

"Jody, thank you for sharing your story with us - and John, as I said to you, as well. I'll be happy to introduce someone from San Francisco, Kathy Ko Chin, in a minute.

"But first, I want to acknowledge that in addition to our Co-Chairs, we have a large number of Members who are Vice Chairs and supporters of the Task Force. I don't have a hand held mic, but if they would just do a shout out for them and introduce themselves as we go around.

[Members' introduction and applause]

"When we initiated the Affordable Care Act - and that title, 'affordable' was our goal and our purpose because the rising cost of health care in our country was totally unsustainable - unsustainable to individuals, to families, to small businesses, to corporate America and certainly, to city, states and the federal government's budgets.

"So, the point was to make it affordable. So the three purposes were - the affordability driving it all - to improve the quality of care, to expand the access to it and to lower the cost. On all three scores, the Affordable Care Act succeeded. Would we like to do more? Yes - in all three of those areas. Part of it all, though, was how we addressed Medicare and Medicaid - and what that means to our country, to our seniors and people with disabilities, in particular.

"Under the Affordable Care Act, we were able to find savings of $800 billion - no cuts in benefits - savings, and file them right into Medicare to prolong its life for a decade, to lower costs of prescription drugs, also known as closing the donut hole. But people tell me today that people don't know what the donut hole is anymore because it's closed. So, lowering costs of prescription drugs, prolong the life of Medicare, expand Medicaid.

"Did you know that 50 percent - at least 50 percent of the funds used for nursing homes are funds that come from Medicaid? Medicaid is a middle class initiative. People think of it just as for the poor - but for seniors and people with disabilities, it is a major, major investment. So, when we expanded Medicaid, we expanded that opportunity. And again, the savings in Medicare are so important to prolong its life.

"So what do Republicans want to do? I call it the 'cut and run' approach. They say they are going to 'repeal and replace.' As I've said to you over and over, my colleagues, 'repeal and replace' has only alliteration going for it. It's alliterative, but it's not realistic. And they don't have the votes to do that in the matter they say they will repeal and replace.

"Instead, what they're doing is what I call 'cut and run.' Cut the benefits, and run away from it. Cut the access to Medicare, and run away from it. Cut the advantages to Medicare, and run away from it. Cut all of the things we talk about in the Affordable Care Act - as Jan Schakowsky went over very well, so I won't. But, cut the Affordable Care Act, in terms of its benefits, its number of people covered and its cutting of cost - cut those three priorities, and run from it. They can run from it, but they can't hide from it because the cost to individuals, families, businesses and hospitals and providers in country is great. They will cut their jobs. There will be millions of jobs cut, if they repeal the Affordable Care Act. Cut the jobs, and run. Cut the contributions to hospitals.

"Before the Affordable Care Act, hospitals had to bear the brunt of uncompensated care, to the tune of hundreds of billions of dollars nationally. In your communities, my colleagues, my friends - see what it does to hospitals there. They want to cut that covering of compensation for uncompensated care to hospitals. Cut and run.

"But, I am very, very encouraged by what I see across the country of people understanding what it means to them in their lives.

"My friend's grandchild was diagnosed, a week or two ago, with Leukemia - three years old. He would have a pre-existing medical condition for the rest of his life. Lifetime limits - that could be gone. Cut the lifetime limit benefit, and run.

"So, it is - whether a child or - a woman, as was said by my colleagues. No longer being a woman is a pre-existing medical condition. Cut the advantage to women, and run.

"People understand - whether it is people in the mental health community, people in the disabilities community, addiction community, opioids community, people who deal with children and seniors and families and etc. - everyone understands, the hospitals, providers understand we need them to speak up to their Members of Congress. Nothing is more eloquent to a Member of Congress than the voice of his or her own constituent. And nothing is more eloquent to tell the story of the Affordable Care Act than the personal stories, to which we have already heard from Jody and from John. But we hear them all over the country, and we'll hear more as we have rallies around the country this weekend. Jan Schakowsky had 1,400 people at [a rally on Saturday] - but we had many events then. And the beat goes on - having big mobilizations over this coming weekend.

"So, I think there is plenty of reason to be hopeful because while the Republicans may have an ideological opposition to the Affordable Care Act, they have to understand what it means in cost to their constituents - cost in benefits, cost in quality of service, cost in access and cost in dollars. So, we're hoping that they will listen.

"As we go forward, it's important for us to define what is there and what would be lost. I think it's easier to win a fight when something is going to be taken away from you, rather than just grabbing something that might happen in the future that is positive. So, we feel pretty confident about where we are - in this past week, working with the Senate, working with the Governors about how we can stop what's happening. And we find ways of making things better, always.

"My privilege now, though, is to introduce a constituent from California, Kathy Ko Chin, the President & CEO of the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum - which was founded in San Francisco 30 years ago. Thank you, Kathy for being with us today."

Leader Pelosi's Closing Remarks:

"Once again, I thank our special guests. As I say at all of these meetings: when people come to share their stories - personal or the story of their administering to the needs of our constituents - they are our VIPs. Thank you. And I thank our colleagues. Mr. Scott is the Ranking Member on Education and Workforce, and he is going to be a very important person and custodian of the value of the Affordable Care Act, along with our Ranking Member on Ways and Means, Mr. Neal and our Ranking Member on Energy and Commerce, Mr. Pallone. But the Ranking Member on the Health Subcommittee, Mr. [Gene] Green - was here earlier.

"So, Bobby would love to answer any questions that you may have. Any questions? Yes, sir."

***

Q: If the GOP does fumble this transition, what do you expect to happen? Do you expect them to double down and continue to blame Democratic authors of the ACA, and we'll see how public opinion shapes out? Or do you expect them to be forced to come to the table about some of the some of the fixes you felt were...

Leader Pelosi. I am the last person to ask about what the Republicans will do.

"Does anybody have any idea?

[Laughter]

"I don't think they have any idea. The Republicans are in the 'cut and run' mode. Cut any savings, cut the jobs, cut the benefits, cut the expansion of Medicaid, and run. But I do hope that we can find a place to save the principles and the value of the Affordable Care Act in a way that has results and is practical, rather than being tied to an ideological.

"Let me just make one point - we were talking about this earlier. To our friends in the press, who keep repeating - some - that this was done without any reaching out to the Republicans privately. The Affordable Care Act is modeled off of a Heritage Foundation principle the mandate, no free riders. It was the bill that was passed in Massachusetts, became law. No free riders. Everybody had to pitch in and that's how you can give people no discrimination on the basis of pre-existing conditions. 125 million people have a pre-existing medical condition - which they wouldn't even be able to get health insurance or have it be affordable for very many people in our country.

"So, when the press says, 'Oh, too bad the President didn't reach out.' He reached out all the time, as did we. We had scores of hearings in which all amendments were treated the same. Some Democratic amendments were accepted, some Republican amendments were accepted. Some were modified on both sides, and some were rejected on both sides. And the President kept calling people together - in public sessions at the Blair House and the rest. 'Tell us your suggestions.'

"So they are ideologically - and for some reason didn't want to support what President Obama was putting forth. But many of their principles were in the bill, starting with the fundamental. Myself? I'm single payer. Mandate is what enables us to do so many things. And that is a Republican principle. And Mitt Romney wrote about that and said, 'You cannot do all of the things that you want to do if you have free riders. People are not in the system.' So, you'll have to ask them what they're going to do next.

Q: At Speaker Ryan's press conference this morning, he talked a lot about his belief that a lot of the repeal could be done on the executive level of regulations in HHS. Are there certain parts of what you're talking about today that you are most concerned could be rolled back through regulations if Tom Price is the new Secretary? And are you working with his office or talking about that?

Leader Pelosi. Well, they don't talk to us until they're confirmed. That's the way it is around here. But what I'm concerned about is that Secretary-designate Price voted to privatize Social Security when President Bush was President. He voted on a number of occasions to remove the guarantee of Medicare - that's a very big deal to seniors.

"So what they have said in the past is of concern to me. Until we see what they intend to do, I have no comment on it. But my colleagues...

"Congresswoman Schakowsky. First of all, let me just respond to the issue of the Republicans. You know, now, they're shooting with real bullets at the Affordable Care Act. And a number of Senators, in particular, are really starting to get cold feet. They know that millions and millions of people are out there. Most people are out there because let's remember: even people who have a private insurance plan, now that plan covers a number of things because of Obamacare. They have a package of benefits that's better. Pre-existing conditions are gone, lifetime limits are gone for every American that gets health care.

"But in terms of the - you're asking about the - repealing parts, here is the problem that they have: that all of the parts are like a puzzle that was carefully crafted and put together. And you take a piece out, and it no longer works. And that's what they're coming to realize. And so when the President-elect says, 'Oh, there's going to be a repeal and then, almost simultaneously, a replacement' - they have had six years to come up with something, and they've come up with exactly nothing. And that's because when they start saying, 'Oh, we like the pre-existing condition part of it,' or 'we like having the young people on their parents' policies,' and 'we like' and 'we like' and 'we like.' And by the time you're done, you have Obamacare.

[Laughter and applause]

Q: As you know, more than half of the population [inaudible] HIV in the United States - over 50 for seniors. What are you planning to do to protect this vulnerable group?

Leader Pelosi. Well, we have done it in terms of passing the Affordable Care Act, and I appreciate your recognizing how it affects people with HIV and AIDS. Of course, part of our initiative in the legislation was to reduce the disparity in terms of access to health care among groups in our country and reaching out to our minority communities. So, thank you for your leadership in that regard. That's very important to us.

"We're fighting to save the Affordable Care Act. That's our fight because it addresses much of what you have said. Thank you.

"Yes, ma'am.

Q: How can Democratic Ranking Members and Committee Members use the actual committee process in committees like Ways and Means and Energy and Commerce to sort of slow down or potentially make it more difficult to actually repeal the ACA?

"Congressman Scott. Well, all of the questions have been posed in such - they really ought to be posed to the Republicans. They have said that they want to repeal and replace. And as we have suggested, the only thing they have voted on so far 65 times is the repeal part. That's the only part you're sure of. There is no credible indication that they have any intent to replace - or any capability or any idea on what to replace it with.

"And when you talk about what is going to happen when the insurance market collapses for everybody - not just the 30 million that will lose their insurance overnight, but everybody that has insurance - will there be an insurance market? Because it will be total chaos. But those questions of what is going to happen - those questions ought to be posed to them because they have given - and if you go back in history, most of the Republicans in Congress voted against Medicare, none of them voted for the Affordable Care Act. They, in the last six years, have come up with no credible alternative. They're going to repeal and then promise to replace it? It's an empty promise. They have nothing.

"And so, during the committee process, we will insist that we come up with the replacement before we repeal. And it's up to the media to ask the Republicans exactly what their plan is. And to expose the fact that there is no plan. When they come up with repeal and replace, like it's going to be something great-- what is it? They cannot - our objective would be to make sure that everybody knows that there is nothing there. There will be total chaos. You've heard the stories of people who would be left in the lurch, without the life-saving insurance they have now. And there will be nothing to replace it. Our job in committee will be to point out exactly how empty this promise is.

Q: If I could ask a follow-up: if the, as you're saying the Republicans haven't put forward a replacement that can actually be evaluated. What can Democrats on committees actually do to stop the repeal if there hasn't been some sort of alternative presented that can be reviewed in the committee process?

"Congressman Scott. Majority rules. If they, as the majority, want to run it through there's nothing that can be done except point out to the people, then maybe their constituents will call them and say, 'What are you doing?' And maybe some of them will slow down themselves, so that they're not going forward with a plan that will create total chaos for everyone with health insurance. People's health insurance is not only a health security, it's also economic security.

"Before the Affordable Care Act, people would routinely go bankrupt if someone had a serious illness. It's up to the majority to recognize the fact that if they pursue, if they keep going in the direction they're going there will be total chaos for everyone - economic security and health security.

"Congresswoman Lujan Grisham. Here's an example: so, in my state of New Mexico our Republican Governor unilaterally cancelled-- so questions about can you do things administratively, some people can. She unilaterally cancelled 100 percent of our behavioral health Medicaid provider contracts. Now three years later, we don't have behavioral health.

"So the public health outcomes in New Mexico, with drug overdoses and substance abuse - we have no psychiatrists or counselors. All - that whole system fell apart. There's not a single hearing or committee that I'm on from Agriculture to - I don't ask that question of my colleagues. My colleagues will tell you, they all know about New Mexico because I raise it at every single caucus meeting. We can raise the issues, I do think it's really relevant, and we will. And every committee, doesn't matter who the witness is, doesn't matter who, what the subject is. We're going to focus on the things that we're fighting for because that's how that message gets repeated. That's how that message - people then understand the impact that it has.

"But we also need your help. Every advocate in the room, every person who's affected, every family and everyone in the media has to continue to put that information out. Because I'll tell you what happens when those contracts are cancelled. People weren't paying attention, until in fact your adolescent, nearly adult schizophrenic son lost their only access to a psychiatrist.

"Now the only thing that happens then is incarceration. Or a forensic, state institution. It's horrific. And that's if they live. So, we know what the risks are. You know what the risks are. You bet, we'll use every - Leader Pelosi is going to use every vehicle at our disposal to make sure that these issues are addressed over and over again.

Leader Pelosi. Thank you very much Congresswoman Lujan Grisham of New Mexico. Cut and run. Cut and run is the replacement that they have for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, we will not allow them to cut and run.

"But no matter how much we maneuver here, nothing is more important than the outside mobilization. President Lincoln said, 'Public sentiment is everything,' and that is the fact. The Members of Congress will be hearing from their constituents. I don't think they care very much about the people who have lost their - will lose, the 20 million plus. Although many of them voted for Donald Trump. Many of them are in rural America and voted for Donald Trump. I don't think that's a priority for our colleagues here.

"But what they should take notice of is the fact that most Americans get their health care through their insurance policies at the workplace. And those policies are going to go up, benefits are going to shrink, jobs will be lost, the hospitals will be deprived of funding. Corporate America will pay more and that's where it hits home for them.

"So again, we can't do what we can do here unless we have the outside mobilization, and in the meetings we've been having we feel very confident that not just progressive Democrats believe that health care is a right not a privilege, but the business-- this is a free-market initiative. A free-market initiative. Buy insurance, then you get a subsidy if you need it.

"So, the impact is felt in the marketplace as Mr. Scott said, it will lead to chaos. And as we work with the Senate, their scene is from chaos from - from affordable care to chaos. Republicans want to Make America Sick Again. We subscribe to that as our Senate colleagues do.

"Do we have time for one more? Is that what you said? Okay one more question.

Q: Are Democrats then ruling out working with Republicans on a replacement? Or can you commit to assisting Republicans, because they might need Democratic support for that replacement, the health program...

Leader Pelosi. Well let's see what they have to offer. You're asking me how I'm going to vote for it sight un-seen? Nonetheless, we have to see what they put forth. That's what it is.

"Right now, their proposal, the Republican proposal right now is cut and run. Cut benefits, cut savings, cut jobs, cut Medicare, cut expansion of Medicaid, we won't let that happen. That's our fight right now. They want to put something on the table? We'll take a look at it and see. Of course. Of course. We're legislators. We're practical. They want to cut and run. When they decide that they're legislators and want to have a result we'll see what they put forward. But in the meantime, we want to make sure that whatever comes forth from them does not reduce the number of people who are covered, does not increase the cost of the initiative, and does not reduce the benefits.

"So we are very excited for that prospect as we go forward and we reject cut and run, we accept the Affordable Care Act. Affordable - that's its title. And I thank Jan Schakowsky and Doris Matsui for their ongoing support - and all of our colleagues. Thank you."

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