WASHINGTON, DC - Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal (D-MA) today called on Chairman Kevin Brady (R-TX) to hold an open and transparent process for lawmakers and the American people to fully consider and understand the implications of any Republican health care plans and legislation.
“It is my understanding that Republican leadership is moving forward in considering legislation that will repeal current laws that affect health insurance coverage for the vast majority of Americans. Any proposed legislation that would radically alter health coverage for Americans should be carefully analyzed and debated before being brought to Committees or to the House Floor. I call on Chairman Brady to ensure that any Republican legislation to restructure America’s health care system not be done in secret behind closed doors, but through a transparent, robust public process. In keeping with the Democrats’ efforts to provide a transparent, deliberate, and open process during the Affordable Care Act’s creation, we request that prior to any action on repeal and replace legislation of the ACA, the public be afforded at least a similar, if not greater amount of time, to read, digest, and comment on legislative language."
Background
When the Affordable Care Act was enacted it was done in a transparent, deliberative process:
* The House held over 100 hours of hearings and considered testimony from 181 witnesses.
* A House draft bill was made public in June of 2009. All three House Committees of jurisdiction held hearings on the draft itself, including a hearing over the course of three days in the Committee on Energy and Commerce (June 23-25, 2009), a June 24, 2009 hearing in the Ways and Means Committee, and a June 23, 2009 hearing in the Committee on Education and Labor. These public comments were taken into consideration and the legislation was officially introduced a month later in July 2009.
* Committee markups spanned multiple days and the three Committees in total considered 239 amendments.
* The House of Representatives did not vote on the legislation until November 7, 2009; from draft to passage, Members were afforded nearly five months to examine legislative text and its implications.
* House Democrats worked diligently to engage with constituents on the proposed legislation. Democratic members held more than 3,000 health care town halls and public events during the course of passing the Affordable Care Act.
