FLOOR STATEMENT ON THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT

REP. WM. LACY CLAY (D) MISSOURI

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 21, 2012

(Statement as prepared for delivery in the U.S. House of Representatives)

"Mr. Speaker, my friends on the other side of the aisle aren’t here to debate the merits of a particular portion of the Affordable Care Act.

They are here to repeal it.

And since straight-out repeal didn’t work, they are trying to dismantle it, bit by bit.

They are attacking the very parts of the bill that have the greatest impact on its success.

My colleagues have and will do an excellent job in explaining the importance of the Independent Payment Advisory Board. I would like to focus on the effects of the Affordable Care Act, or ACA, on women’s health.

The ACA is the greatest improvement on women’s health in decades.

On average, women have far more experience with our health care system than do men.

The health care needs of women are greater, especially during their reproductive years. Historically, women have played a central role in coordinating health care for family members, from spouses and children to aging parents.

The ACA will improve women’s access to health insurance coverage, make health care more affordable, and expand benefits.

Here are just some of the ways that the ACA, a bill that I am proud to have helped pass, will improve women’s health:

Millions of women are gaining access to affordable health care coverage.

Women will not have to pay more than men for the same insurance policies.

Women will not be denied coverage because they are sick or have pre-existing conditions.

Children and young adults will have greater access to quality care.

Women will be guaranteed preventive services such as birth control, mammograms and cervical cancer screenings, with no deductibles or copays.

More low-income women will have timely access to family planning services by simplifying the process for states to expand Medicaid eligibility.

Nursing mothers will have the right to a reasonable break time and a place to express breast milk at work.

Pregnant and parenting women on Medicaid will get access to needed services.

Senior women will have access to coordinated care.

Senior women will save thousands of dollars as reform closes the Medicare prescription drug coverage gap.

Women will be able to comparison shop when choosing health plans for their families.

Family caregivers – who are typically women – will benefit from new supports that help them care for their loved ones while also taking care of themselves.

Family planning providers and Women’s Health Clinics will continue to provide health services to the women they serve.

Mr. Speaker, as a son, as a father – as an American – I strongly support the ACA and its improvements to health care for everyone – especially women and children.

And dismantling the Act – whether through immediate repeal, lawsuits, or piece by piece – means losing those improvements.

And that is unacceptable.

I yield back the balance of my time."