MR. BISHOP (GA). Mr. Speaker, I cannot in good conscience support today’s misguided efforts to repeal the new health reform law. It would be a significant step backwards both for the citizens of Southwest Georgia whom I represent as well as the entire nation.
Repealing the law will mean that insurance companies will continue to place lifetime limits on the coverage they provide, drop people from coverage when they get sick, and refuse children affordable health care because of a pre-existing condition.
Repealing the law also will increase prescription drug costs for seniors. It will deny Medicare enrollees free preventive services like colorectal cancer screenings, mammograms, and an annual wellness visit without copayments, co-insurance, or deductibles.
In addition, repealing the law will mean that children under age 26 will no longer be covered under their parents’ plan; new small business tax credits that make it easier for businesses to provide coverage to their workers and make premiums more affordable will disappear; and there will be no further expansion of community health centers which are vital to the health care needs of rural Southwest Georgia.
A recent report by the Center for American Progress also found that repealing the law would add up to $2,000 annually to family premiums and prevent 250,000 to 400,000 jobs from being created annually over the next decade. Furthermore, according to the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, a repeal of the law will add $230 billion to the federal debt by 2021.
Mr. Speaker, we cannot let this happen. We cannot and we must not turn back the clock.