Washington, D.C.-Today, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, issued the following statement regarding the Committee’s upcoming field hearings on the Affordable Care Actin North Carolina, Georgia, Texas, and Arizona:
“I welcome legitimate and responsible congressional oversight, but House Republicans have made clear that they have no interest in improving the Healthcare.gov website. Rather than engaging in a destructive political exercise with the ultimate goal of tearing down the Affordable Care Act, promoting misinformation, and eliminating health insurance for tens of millions of people, the Committee should support constructive efforts to help educate and assist families who urgently need medical care and now have a chance to obtain it. Democrats are committed to this positive goal and will continue participating in events nationwide to help millions of uninsured Americans get quality affordable coverage, some for the first time."
The Committee plans to hold its first field hearing this morning in North Carolina. Unfortunately, the Committee disregarded requests by multiple North Carolina residents who asked for the opportunity to testify in support of the Affordable Care Act and the quality affordable health insurance coverage to which they now have access.
The title of the field hearing is “ObamaCare Implementation: Sticker Shock of Increased Premiums for Healthcare Coverage." Contrary to claims by Chairman Issa and others that Americans will face exorbitant prices for health insurance in the individual market, a new report by Families USA finds that nearly three-quarters of Americans in the individual market are eligible for financial assistance under the Affordable Care Act.
In addition, a new report by the Council of Economic Advisors finds that, in part due to the Affordable Care Act, real per capita health care spending has grown at the lowest rate on record for any three-year period-an estimated average rate of just 1.3% per year since 2010 when the Affordable Care Act was enacted.
More than 1.3 million North Carolina residents are uninsured and eligible for health coverage through the Affordable Care Act, according to the Department of Health and Human Services.
In addition, North Carolina has decided not to expand Medicaid coverage at this time, meaning that the state is foregoing nearly $172 million in federal funds over the next ten years that could have helped insure 478,000 North Carolina residents and reduced the state’s uninsured population by more than 48%, according to the Urban Institute.
Below is a sample list of enrollment events, information sessions, and constituent forums held that Democratic House Members have been participating in throughout the country:
· Rep. Grace Meng - NY
· Rep Karen Bass - CA
· Rep. Andre Carson - IN
· Rep. Yvette Clarke - NY
· Rep Al Green - TX
· Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee - TX
· Rep. Gene Green - TX
· Rep. Hank Johnson - GA
· Rep. Jan Schakowsky - IL
· Rep. Grace Napolitano - CA
· Rep. Charles Rangel - NY
· Rep. Elijah Cummings - MD
· Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham - NM
· Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton - DC
· Rep. Tony Cardenas - CA
· Rep. Jackie Speier - CA
· Rep. Robin Kelly - IL
· Rep. Tammy Duckworth - IL
· Rep. Matt Cartwright - PA
· Rep. Danny Davis - IL
· Rep. Nydia Velazquez - NY
· Rep. Bennie Thompson - MS
· Rep. Lucille Roybal-Allard - CA
· Rep. Robert Andrews - NJ
· Rep. Xavier Becerra - CA
· Rep. Joyce Beatty - OH
· Rep. Suzanne Bonamici - OR
· Rep. G.K. Butterfield - NC
· Rep. Kathy Castor - FL
· Rep. Donna Christensen - VI
· Rep. Jim Costa - CA
· Rep. Judy Chu - CA
· Rep. David Cicilline - RI
· Rep. Emanuel Cleaver II - MO
· Rep. Steve Cohen - TN
· Rep. John Conyers Jr. - MI
· Rep. Joe Courtney - CT
· Rep. Joe Crowley - NY
· Rep. Henry Cuellar - TX
· Rep. Peter DeFazio - OR
· Rep. Diana DeGette - CO
· Rep. Rosa DeLauro - CT
· Rep. Ted Deutch - FL
· Rep. Lloyd Doggett - TX
· Rep. Mike Doyle - PA
· Rep. Keith Ellison - MN
· Rep. Elizabeth Esty - CT
· Rep. Sam Farr - CA
· Rep. Chaka Fattah - PA
· Rep. Lois Frankel - FL
· Rep. Pete Gallego - TX
· Rep. Raul Grijalva - AZ
· Rep. Janice Hahn - CA
· Rep. Alcee Hastings - FL
· Rep. Jim Himes - CT
· Rep Mike Honda - CA
· Rep. Jared Huffman - CA
· Rep. Hakeem Jeffries - NY
· Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson - TX
· Rep. Joe Kennedy - MA
· Rep. Ron Kind - WI
· Rep. Jim Langevin - RI
· Rep. Barbara Lee - CA
· Rep. Sander Levin - MI
· Rep. Alan Lowenthal - CA
· Rep. Doris Matsui - CA
· Rep. Betty McCollum - MN
· Rep. Gregory Meeks - NY
· Rep. George Miller - CA
· Rep. Gwen Moore - WI
· Rep. Jim Moran - VA
· Rep. Beto O’Rourke - TX
· Rep. Ed Pastor - AZ
· Rep. Donald Payne Jr. - NJ
· Rep. Nancy Pelosi - CA
· Rep. Gary Peters - MI
· Rep. Scott Peters - CA
· Rep. Mike Quigley - IL
· Rep. Bobby Rush - IL
· Rep. Linda Sanchez - CA
· Rep. Loretta Sanchez - CA
· Rep. Bobby Scott - VA
· Rep. David Scott - GA
· Rep. Jose Serrano - NY
· Rep. Terri Sewell - AL
· Rep. Mike Thompson - CA
· Rep. Dina Titus - NV
· Rep. Paul Tonko - NY
· Rep. Chris Van Hollen - MD
· Rep. Marc Veasey - TX
· Rep. Maxine Waters - CA
· Rep. Henry Waxman - CA
· Rep Frederica Wilson - FL
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