House Republicans hold 31^st vote to repeal or defund the Affordable Care Act

WASHINGTON, DC – Congressman Sam Farr (D-Carmel) voted today to uphold the Affordable Care Act, preserving patient protections and insuring the health and economic security of California’s middle class.

“The definition of insanity is to repeat the same thing over and over again, hoping for a different result,” Congressman Sam Farr said.  “For the 31^st time this Congress, House Republicans have held a futile vote to repeal the health care law. While the rest of the country is searching for ways to put Americans back to work and grow our economy, Republicans here in Washington are obsessed with wasting our time with more election year insanity.”

The Affordable Care Act is already improving and enhancing the health of America’s families and workers.  Medical decisions are now in the hands of patients and doctors, not insurance company bureaucrats.  The worst abuses of insurance companies have come to an end, and more Americans have access to quality, affordable health coverage.

Over the past two years, the Central Coast has begun to see the positive impact of new patient protections:

•           7,400 young adults in the district now have health insurance.

•           4,900 seniors in the district received prescription drug discounts worth $3.2 million, an average discount of $650 per senior.

•           53,000 seniors in the district received Medicare preventive services without paying any co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles.

•           27,000 children and 110,000 adults now have health insurance that covers preventive services without paying any co-pays, coinsurance, or deductibles.

•           460 small businesses in the district received tax credits to help maintain or expand health care coverage for their employees.

•           9,000 to 40,000 children with preexisting health conditions can no longer be denied coverage by health insurers.

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