The Congressional Record is a unique source of public documentation. It started in 1873, documenting nearly all the major and minor policies being discussed and debated.
“HEALTHCARE” mentioning the U.S. Dept. of Justice was published in the Senate section on pages S5998-S5999 on Aug. 28, 2018.
The Department is one of the oldest in the US, focused primarily on law enforcement and the federal prison system. Downsizing the Federal Government, a project aimed at lowering taxes and boosting federal efficiency, detailed wasteful expenses such as $16 muffins at conferences and board meetings.
The publication is reproduced in full below:
HEALTHCARE
Mr. TESTER. Mr. President, I rise on behalf of the 152,000 Montanans whose healthcare coverage is currently in jeopardy.
Next week, a Texas courthouse will become the newest battlefield in the war against our healthcare. The latest attack is a lawsuit attempting to get rid of legal protections for folks with preexisting conditions. These are protections that make it illegal for insurance companies to deny healthcare coverage or charge absurd rates because of common conditions like high blood pressure or diabetes or heart disease or cancer or even pregnancy.
These protections were signed into law almost 10 years ago, passed by majorities in both the House and in the Senate. Despite many attempts to undermine them, they have been upheld by the Supreme Court and continue to be supported by Members of both parties in Congress. That is because an overwhelming majority--more than three-fourths--of Americans support these protections. In fact, the Kaiser Family Foundation recently reported that 88 percent of Democrats, 77 percent of Independents, and 58 percent of Republicans think it is very important to maintain protections for folks with preexisting conditions.
So why are we even here?
Well, in June, the Department of Justice announced it would stop defending these critical protections in court. That is correct. You heard it right. A bunch of unelected bureaucrats have decided to stop defending the law of the land that protects folks with preexisting conditions. This decision not only harms millions of Americans, it threatens to create chaos in the marketplace and could drive up healthcare costs, not to mention it is a dereliction of duty.
Now, I know we all wake up some days, and we would just rather go fishing, but a job is a job, and you just can't decide it is not worth doing, especially when your job is to defend protections for millions of Americans and thousands of Montanans with preexisting conditions.
Montanans like Christina, from Missoula, who told me last week about how the Justice Department's decision could impact her husband who suffers from a chronic type of leukemia that can be managed but not cured. Christina wrote:
Six years ago, we started the cancer journey when my husband was diagnosed with CLL, a type of lymphoma/leukemia. Thankfully, he found work and is receiving the care he needs to manage his chronic disease that has no cure. But if he could be denied health insurance because of a preexisting condition, my husband probably would not have received the care he needs.
Karen, from Belgrade, MT, wrote something similar, saying:
I am very concerned about the DOJ's decision to no longer defend Americans against insurance companies who want to disallow people with preexisting conditions. I am a cancer survivor, as is my 22-year-old son. It is frightening to think that both of us may be uninsurable in the future if this trend continues.
Kim, from Helena, wrote me and said:
I have been a Type 1 diabetic for 35 years--and the burden is heavy. The cost of insulin continues to soar to the point that some people have to choose between their insulin or their rent, food, or other medication. I have good health insurance through my employer, which makes the financial cost of my diabetes manageable. But if preexisting conditions weren't covered, my next health insurer could simply choose not to cover my diabetes.
I am here to tell you, there are thousands of others in Montana like Karen, Kim, and Christina. In fact, a new report released today, also by the Kaiser Family Foundation, found that without current protections--without current protections--52 million Americans could be denied healthcare coverage because of a preexisting condition.
The report broke this number down even further and found that in Billings, MT--our State's largest city--one out of every four adults between the ages of 18 and 64 have a preexisting condition that could prevent them from getting healthcare coverage if our current protections were repealed. That is not to mention the thousands of others who could be charged higher rates or denied reimbursement for care if these protections disappear.
Instead of doing their job and protecting folks like Kim and Karen and Christina, a bunch of unelected bureaucrats in the Department of Justice have decided to help repeal a law that it is their job to defend.
Well, if they will not protect Montanans, then we will. That is why I have helped introduce legislation that will authorize the Senate to intervene in next week's lawsuit and defend protections for people with preexisting conditions.
I would be the first to say that our healthcare system isn't perfect, but folks are no longer denied coverage or forced to pay higher premiums because of common ailments like high blood pressure, diabetes, or cancer, and the vast majority of Americans, on both sides of the aisle, want to keep it that way.
That is why a group of my colleagues from across the aisle introduced a bill last week to try and preserve some of these protections. That might sound good in theory, but in reality it will still threaten people with preexisting conditions.
That is why I am calling on my colleagues to pass our resolution, which will ensure folks with preexisting conditions get the coverage they need. The thousands of Montanans and millions of Americans who rely on these protections deserve nothing less.
With that, I yield the floor.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Nebraska.
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