(As prepared for delivery)
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Rightfully feeling the heat of the public’s anger, the majority is holding their third hearing on health care in as many weeks, all to deflect blame. Families won’t be fooled so easily. They know Republicans are desperate to distract from their record of failure.
Patients and families simply can’t afford what’s being offered to them as big corporations amass record profits and cut coverage. There’s more for insurance companies and hospitals to do to aid in lowering costs, but that doesn’t negate that right now, affording health care remains the top worry for Americans. 37 percent of marketplace enrollees say they are cutting back on food and other necessities to afford coverage. We must listen to them and bring costs down.
Democrats showed it can be done. When we had the opportunity, we fought health care giants and won.
Because of our fight, Medicare drug price negotiation, capped out of pocket and insulin costs, and expanded senior benefits were possible. We delivered years of record enrollment and ensured no family paid more than 8.5% of income for coverage.
That’s how you deliver for families. Unlike the President who stamps his name on slick websites and hands out special favors and shady deals for his Big Pharma buddies in the Oval Office, Democrats legislated for the people and delivered actual, tangible savings to households.
With a health care crisis this big looming over millions of families, our fervor and attention must look at every corner. Where was the Republican passion last year, when Democrats warned for months that their $1 trillion in cuts to the system, and refusal to extend the ACA tax credits, would push the system to the breaking point? At every chance to do the right thing and prevent premiums from doubling and tripling, they refused. Instead, they exhausted their legislative muscle cutting taxes for billionaires and corporations on the backs of workers, allowing the greatest health care loss in history to unfold on their watch.
They ripped coverage from more than 15 million people and pushed hundreds of hospitals to the brink— and now they want credit as states scramble for scraps from their Ugly Law’s so-called rural hospital fund, a meager lifeline that won’t undo their damage and wouldn’t be needed if Republicans hadn’t gutted the system in the first place.
That’s playing firefighter after committing arson.
Republicans remain without a plan. Their only play is avoiding accountability while shifting more costs onto patients. They act as if it’s too late, but if they were serious about bringing costs down, they could save health care for millions today. All they need is the willingness to pass a bill that extends the ACA tax credits and gets the President’s signature.
Republicans can keep trying to run from their record, but the damage Americans are feeling tells the whole story. President Trump and House Republicans have failed. Families are paying more for everything because Republicans have put everyone else first.
There is a different path. Democrats believe in the power of legislating for a fairer tomorrow, where we stand up against health corporations instead of cutting their taxes. We need to be talking about real solutions that bring costs down right now for workers and families, and that starts with reversing the harm of Republican cuts and ending the President’s price hikes.
I yield back.
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