Debate managed by part of the ways and Means Committee. Might consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts. Mr. Neal im pleased to join with the speaker and other Committee Chairs to have introduced the Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act and welcome consideration of the measure in the house today. Hearing the former chairman of the Energy Committee a few minutes ago, decent guy, he said that there was room for bipartisanship. In the health care debate. I mean, ive been here for a long time. Where was the bipartisanship, and im going to submit something republicans in all the years i have been in this house they have not agreed amongst themselves on health care, never mind agreing with democrats on health care. So for years, weve worked to expand access. Thats what this argument about is about today. We want to make sure that Affordable Health care exists for the American Family and to build on the coverage gains of the Affordable Care act. The covid19 crisis only adds urgency to an already pressing problem for millions of american families. The problem has been consistently exacerbated by the Trump Administrations relentless crusade to dismant they will American Health care system. We called on the campaign recall on the campaign trail when President Trump was asked by reporters what he intended to replace obamacare with, he said dont worry, pal, youre going to love it. That was the apps. Just last week, under the cover of night, while Many Americans were likely sleeping, the Trump Administration took another step toward invalidating our health care laws. They filed a brief with the Supreme Court in support of undoing the a. C. A. And ending protections for nearly 130 million americans with preexisting conditions. I helped to write this law. Im really proud of it. And they staked out this position in a pandemic when millions of americans need health care more than ever. Our new Patient Protection and Affordable Care enhancement act is utilized to expand tax credits, to lower premium costs for the american consumer. For the first time in the history of the a. C. A. No one will pay more than 8. 5 of their income on a silver plan from the marketplace. Ill quickly share the other scenarios people will witness savings through. A family of four earning 40,000 hurblings nearly 1,6 in nearly 1,600 in premiums each year. An adult would save 800 a year. A 64yearold earning 57,000 a year would save more than 8,700 in premiums each year. These are significant savings that would make a big difference for americans, particularly during the Current Health and economic crisis we find ourselves in. I want to thank representative underwood for her tireless work on these provisions and advocating for millions of americans who will see their premium costs go down, recalling was offerede a. C. A. An embraced 20 million more americans received Health Insurance. I want to thank representative wild for the effort to remove a longstanding baferier for families with an offer of affordable family coverage as well as representative neguse for his work on behalf of Social Security beneficiaries who were at wisconsin of losing premium tax credits from the time they were covered by the a. C. A. Marketplace. These tax credits arent the only benefits consumers can expect under this very important legislation. We also slashed Prescription Drug costs. We reduced consumers deductibles, encouraged more states to expand medicaid and established their own a. C. A. Marketplace and to put an end to the expansion of junk insurance plans. This legislation reduces uninsured americans by people. N four million these are issues that matter to everyday americans. Perhaps now in this covid crisis ever. Han ensuring all americans can access Quality Health care families king their Financial Security really shouldnt be a partisan issue. After almost 70 votes on republican bills to repeal or a. C. A. , im really happy to stand on this floor of this support legislation that will continue to build on the gains of the a. C. A. Or legislation that increases access to affordable Quality Health care and for legislation people. For the american with that, i urge my colleagues this timely vor of legislation, and i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts reserves his time. The gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Burgess thank you mr. Brady thank you, madam speaker. I yield myself such time as i may consume. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman is recognized. R. Brady thank you, madam speaker. As a republican in congress, im proud of our republican efforts, creating the Medicare Part d prescription which then seniors leader nancy pelosi and democrats tried to kill. Speaker emember that pelosi famously predicted creating the crucial part d plans for the elderly, across the street, would end medicare as we know it, unquote. Imagine how many seniors lives would have been ost if she had succeeded in stopping the affordable medicare drug program . Have come to iors depend on it today. We are in the middle of an pandemic. Ted National Americans are worried about their health and their jobs. Yet, here we go again in the house, another partisan bill with no input from republicans. From Campaign Operatives and special interest groups. Sick andcan people are tired of this partisanship. My democratic colleagues and friends i say, stop playing political games with health care. To your is Dangerous Health in three key ways. T stops lifesaving cures from getting to the patients who need them most. T blocks americans from buying affordable shortterm health plans that cover them in between jobs. To slash stay support for state support for for the most vulnerable and poor. It doubles down on the most Health Care Plan in modern history, the Affordable Care act. Disaster. Er that you broke every promise democrats made to the american public. Like your Health Care Plan you can keep it. False. You canike your doctor, keep them. False. Our Health Care Costs will go down by 2,500 a year. Big false. Less than making 250,000 a year will see a tax increase. False. Add a dime to the federal deficit. False. Add over , it will 1. 5 trillion in debt this decade. We are battling the coronavirus and hoping against hope as Companies Partner with racing rnment, heroically to bring new treatments in medicines that lives and prevent americans from being infected. House ay, today, democrats are unbelievably that the a bill council of economic advisors predicts will stop 100 from ever cures getting to the patients who need them most. Sciences rnia Life Association says the pelosi plan for government setting medicine mean nearly nine of 10 new drugs would never be made available. Never. Their researchers and small biotech companies. That are the medicines could be the answer to some of the most heartbreaking and evastating diseases, including covid covid19, that our children, are facing. Ilies as this pandemic makes urgently lear, we need more cures, not fewer. Fewer cures means more lives cut short. Shrug offng democrats these Research Experts and say were fine with that. Affordable care act has improved under president prices went otage, down in most states. Insurance companies have stabilized. Families see more choices today. Flawed. Emains fatally heres proof. Two out of three americans eligible for obamacare are down. G it two out of three. They say its health care they cant afford, y and it doesnt work for them. Nbelievably, democrats are so hellbent on forcing americans onto the a. C. A. , today theyre state ning to slash support for medicaid unless tates buckle to expand obamacare. Holding the poor hostage . Hreatening to defund the operations of medicaid at the state level . Thats immoral. Remember, the t Supreme Court quickly struck extorteir last scheme to states. Finally, despite the claims theyre expanding health care this misguided bill blocks americans from buying shortterm dable, plans often used by Small Business workers and americans of work or in between jobs. Plans arent lth for everyone, but to the three illion americans with these lifesaving plans, democrats say tough. Or ou dont like your plan even if you do, you cant keep it. Theres a better way than this waste of partisan time. Real people are hurting. We should Work Together in to make affordable patientcentered health care a americans. Last year, republicans proposed legislation that brought ogether ideas and bills from members of congress from both andies to lower drug prices accelerate new cures. Health care policy fails when its partisan. Work together now to make drugs more affordable, to care access to quality and, yes, to lower costs. Achieve any oft those goals. Its partisan business as usual nation time when our calls out for so much more. With that i reserve the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas reserves his time. The gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal thank you, madam speaker. With that let me yield two inutes to the gentleman from california, mr. Thompson. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from california is recognized for two minutes. Madam speaker, i rise in strong support of h. R. 1425. This legislation expanding and enhancing the Affordable Care ct and lowering Health Care Costs for all americans. N the past six months, over 120,000 americans have died due to covid19. Have lost their jobs, and in many cases their Health Insurance. Why its so critical we strengthen and build upon the foundation of the affordable act, which is exactly what this bill does. His legislation reduces the price of expensive pharmaceuticals, including taxpayers ving billions of dollars while all ng down drug costs for americans. And the bill uses those savings and wer insurance premiums expand tax credits, helping more americans afford the coverage they need. This bill bolsters state funds d programs, covid19 vaccine research, and cuts the number of uninsured by nearly four million. The president and my republican actively trying to gut protections for preexisti preexisting conditions and take away from millions of americans. This legislation reduces Health Care Costs for of americans at this critical time. Ts vital that we give our constituents the help they need. Friends onmany of my the other side talk about how they want to protect people who have preexisting conditions. Every one of which is in support f the lawsuit to repeal the Affordable Care act, the very bill, the very law that protects who have preexisting conditions. Protecting e for preexisti preexisting conditions and for provides the law that that protection. I urge my colleagues to vote yes bill, and i yield back the balance of my time. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman yields back the time. E of the the gentleman from texas is recognized. Mr. Brady yes, madam speaker. Im proud to yield three minutes to a key leader of the ways and Means Committee, the gentleman from pennsylvania, mr. Kelly. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from pennsylvania has three minutes. Mr. Kelly thank you, madam speaker. Brady. Ou, mr. Look, the objective of this bill is to prop up the Affordable Care act. We want to pump money into Medicaid Programs and price drugs. S on prescription h. R. 1425 lifted the provision pelosis drug bill, h. R. 3, that gives the secretary set h. S. The power to medicare drug price controls for pharmaceutical manufacturers and payfor. A the savings from price setting power is meant for the expansion of the Affordable Care act. Facts are clear. Private investment in Drug Development fuels Innovation Ecosystem for new medicines. Its just that simple. The Congressional Budget Office has already determined that h. R. 3s negotiation provision would in fewer cures. You have to be especially tone introduce legislation that punishes the very pharmaceutical companies that re going to innovate and mass produce the vaccine the entire world is counting on to counter covid19. Of last year, we were 80 of the way there on a bipartisan before we got sidelined by h. R. 3 and legislation just like this. To the peoples work and Work Together on solutions that make sense, like 19, drug legislation that would actually make it to the president s desk. Mind, th all that in lets talk about who it is were talking for today. Who it is we represent on the peoples floor. For. T is were looking out because too often this becomes about november 3, 2020, and not everyday lives back in the districts and the folks who we represent. Letter that i a have read before because i think it really deserves to be repeated. In october t to me of 2019. Ear congressman kelly, my name is sarah stewart, and im from st. Petersburg, pennsylvania. The my understanding that house ways and Means Committee is having a public hearing on by the the very h. R. 3, way, that is being included in 1425. Act of r drug cost now 2019. It appears this legislation does support. Bipartisan it needs to take a more balanced approach. The balance is needed for like my 10yearold maddie. , maddie suffers from a rare ondition called pierson syndrome, which is a disorder that occurs as a result of mutated genes in the body. These genes impact the mitochondria of her cells and from predeucing producing enough energy for the. Ody it affects each individual differently. Her symptoms through the years have included blood transfusion thendent for several years, inability to heal after sun type 1e damage, becoming diabetic, progressively hearing losing her hearing and vision, developmental delays when having a body that runs on very limited energy. It has been truly heartbreaking in her the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Mr. Kelly she continues to defy the odds. A s challenge is of 10yearold. My simple message to you the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. 30 seconds. Yield mr. Kelly my simple message to you, mr. Kelly, and the rest of rest of ttee and the the congress is there is no cure for treatments for pierson syndrome. Struggle to keep maddie balanced so her body is better able to cope with of this terrible disorder. All we have, as well as many other families across the world, is hope. Dont let partisan bickering impact the ability of discover and innovate new therapies that maddies life one day. The clock is ticking and maddie is waiting. To this. Comes down if you want to develop new drugs, dont penalize the people who develop them. Bad guys them as the when we re the speaker pro tempore the gentlemans time has expired. Kelly address covid19. Thank you. I yield back. Thank you. Mr. Neal thank you, madam speaker. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from massachusetts is recognized. Mr. Neal im pleased to yield two minutes to the gentleman doggett. S, mr. The speaker pro tempore the gentleman from texas has two minutes. Approaching july fourth we should be celebrating our country. Of instierd, were mired instead, were mired in a more ic where we have people infected and more deaths from this pandemic than any world. In the entire with President Trump floundering and whining. This pandemic enial, delay, and ongoing deception has been exposed as the fraud that it is. And because of his multiple is a time when more americans desperately need enroll in nity to Health Insurance, not the junk insurance that hes been promoting. To eliminate, ks as do our republican colleagues, he Affordable Care act and the coverage that it has today for millions of our citizens. Todays bill offers a reaffirmation that the Affordable Care act should be strengthened, not destroyed, strengthening that would have occurred long ago but for the fa netic decade of our republican colleagues in trying to destroy the Affordable Care act. Next year, we have to do much more for health care than simply return where it should have been. Millions of americans, particularly in a state like texas which has more uninsured children than any state in america, they are still likely to be excluded because of obstructionist republican state leaders. And even those who have insurance are still often the victims of prescription price gouging. E exceed glit the exceedingly modest in this bill falls well short of monopoly prices for drugs developed at taxpayer expense. This bill pours billion into pharmaceutical development with no assurance that the prices in the resulting cures will be affordable. We see only today with the pricing of remdesivir, a drug that would have been would have been left in the scrap heap of failures but for taxpayer funding that the same taxpayers who developed the funds will be charged bill