Opposing Repeal of the Affordable Health Care Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to oppose this counterproductive effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Instead, we ought to focus on how we can move forward together, Democrats and Republicans, to address the very serious challenge of rising health care costs. Among developed nations, the United States spends twice as much as a share of GDP on health care; yet we rank near the bottom in health outcomes.

Insurance premiums more than doubled in the last decade. Absent reform, they are on pace to double again by 2020. These costs are unsustainable for Delaware families and for the Federal budget. There can't be serious conversation about deficit reduction without talking about health care cost containment. Medicare, Medicaid, and SCHIP alone consume one-quarter of the Federal budget. The Affordable Care Act will curb health care cost growth, but there is a lot more that needs to be done.

I came to Congress to make the tough, thoughtful decisions necessary to improve the Affordable Care Act, not repeal it. And I look forward to working with my colleagues to do just that.

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