WASHINGTON, DC - Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin (D-MI) today delivered the following remarks on the House Floor ahead of a vote to override President Obama’s veto of the Senate Amendment to H.R. 3762, a bill that would cut funding for Planned Parenthood and undermine the Affordable Care Act (ACA). Today’s vote marked the 63rd time House Republicans have attempted to repeal or undermine the ACA:
“The Majority Whip referred to November. We are serving notice in this discussion: We are proud to defend healthcare reform and will do so between now, as we did before, and November.
“Since health care began, the uninsured rate has declined from 20.3% to 11.4%, and nearly 18 million people are now covered who were before uninsured.
“Now this has also happened: 137 million Americans have free preventive services.
“The ACA ends lifetime and annual limits on coverage for 105 million Americans.
“Also what it does - let me just emphasize this - 129 million Americans with preexisting health conditions no longer have to worry about being denied care.
“I met, last weekend, a woman who had breast cancer. She lost her job and lost her health insurance. Because of health care reform, she received health insurance. Her breast cancer came back. She looked at us and said to us squarely, one-on-one, each of us: ‘I wouldn’t be here except for health care reform.’
“That is what this is all about. This veto will be sustained. It will be sustained because health care reform responded to the needs of millions of Americans. We in the Democratic Party are proud of that and will, from now until November, say so with immense ardor."
